Lashly & Baer is please to announce that attorney Judge Jimmie M. Edwards has been named to the St. Louis Regional Crime Commission.
ST. LOUIS REGIONAL CRIME COMMISSION HAS CHANGE IN LEADERSHIP
Jimmie Edwards to become Chairman of the Board; Jim Whyte to become President Ed Dowd stepping down after nearly 19 years as President
January 8, 2025
The St. Louis Regional Crime Commission, a non-profit organization that encompasses St. Louis CrimeStoppers and the Vacancy Project, and supports other violence prevention efforts, is undergoing new leadership as of January 1, 2025.
While Francis Slay, four term Mayor of the City of St. Louis will remain in the role of Executive Director, Judge Jimmie M. Edwards will become Chairman of the Board and James Whyte will become President. They will replace Mark Bobak who served as Board Chair for nearly five years and Ed Dowd who founded the organization and served as President for 18+ years.
Edwards, an attorney at Lashly & Baer, was the Director of Public Safety for the City of St. Louis under Mayor Lyda Krewson. Prior to that, he served on the 22nd St. Louis Judicial Circuit Court from 1992-2017. In that role, Edwards spent most of his time on the bench as an Administrative Judge of the Family Court and Chief Juvenile Court Judge. Judge Edwards spent 15 years hearing adult cases before being appointed to the juvenile court in hopes of making a difference in the lives of children before they became criminals. He is also the founder of the Innovative Concept Academy, a ground-breaking school in St. Louis Missouri that acts as a last resort for at risk teens.
Edwards said, “As one who has worked in public safety and strives to make a difference in the lives of at-risk youth, I am looking forward to chairing the board of this important entity. The Regional Crime Commission is an essential component of fighting crime as well as preventing it. Thanks to the leadership of Ed Dowd, Mark Bobak and the Board, we are set up to remain an effective partner to law enforcement for years to come.”
Bobak said, “I am pleased that Jimmie will succeed me as Board Chair. His depth and breadth of knowledge in these areas is unsurpassed. He has the exact leadership skills needed to carry the Crime Commission forward.”
James Whyte, a longtime law enforcement and security professional, will assume the presidency of the Commission.
“I am honored that the Board of Trustees has placed its confidence in me to lead this important organization,” Whyte said. “The Regional Crime Commission has been successful for nearly two decades due to excellent leadership and buy-in from key stakeholders including law enforcement, the private sector and city/county agencies on both sides of the river. As a retired member of the St. Louis City Police Department and a security specialist in the private sector, I remain very engaged in public safety. My current role as head of the Central West End Neighborhood Security Initiative has kept me engaged in developing strategies to reduce crime as well as to work with key stakeholders including law enforcement and residents.”
Outgoing President Ed Dowd said, “While it has been my honor to serve as President of the Commission for 18+ years, I can’t think of a better person than Jim Whyte to succeed me at the St. Louis Regional Crime Commission. His life’s work has been to protect the public from criminals and to improve the community’s quality of life.”
The St. Louis Regional Crime Commission, started in 2006, is one of the most successful public/private partnerships for public safety in the St. Louis region and is comprised of St. Louis Area police chiefs, business owners, and civic leaders including the US Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri and Special Agents in charge of federal agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, and the Drug Enforcement Agency. The Commission is based on the firm belief that crime prevention and crime solving efforts work best with community awareness, engagement and support.
For more information on the St. Louis Regional Crime Commission, go to https://www.stlrcs.org/st-louis-regional-crime-commission-0.