She also said she would try to find funding “to quickly add” more security cameras and license plate readers around the city.

And she said she had sought state assistance in a call Monday to Gov. Mike Parson, such as deploying the Missouri Highway Patrol in the city. She said her push to repeal the city residency rule, in part to make it easier to fill police vacancies, also was mentioned.

One of the alderman attending, Jeffrey Boyd, D-22nd Ward, said aldermen also asked questions of the mayor and the others.

Boyd said another point made was that police have been focusing more on drug activity.

“Last week was a bad week,” Boyd said in an interview. “Our constituents are concerned, they’re afraid. They deserve some kind of answer.”

Boyd and Alderman Brandon Bosley, D-3rd Ward, both commended the mayor for holding the session.

“I think it was the first of many productive meetings that need to be had,” said Bosley, who earlier this year had sharply criticized the mayor for supporting the now-suspended Better Together campaign. “It's a really good start. To see everybody come and really be concerned, to move forward, it was inspiring.”