When Mayor Tishaura Jones was sworn in at City Hall in April 2021, she said she was dedicated to reducing crime, especially the murder rate, in the city of St. Louis.
When St. Louis Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Tracy was hired as police chief in 2022, he stood with the mayor and said his main goal was to reduce the city’s level of crime annually.
When Gabe Gore was appointed as St. Louis circuit attorney in May 2023, and when he ran successfully for the office in 2024, he pledged to continue the fight against crime through his office.
The trio came together Tuesday at the Delmar DiVine to announce crime was down in the city in 2024, and that the reduction is part of an ongoing trend.
There were 150 homicides in 2024, the lowest total since 2013, and according to SLMPD statistics, overall, crime was down 15% year-over-year.
“Our all-hands-on-deck approach, including close coordination with SLMPD, the Circuit Attorney’s Office, and our community partners, remains effective at continuing this downward trend,” Jones said.
She called the 150 homicides “far too many,” and still far too many, and said the city is “committed to using every tool available to us to bring that number down even further.”
“We can’t fix the pain of victims, [and] we can’t go back in time to stop a crime from happening, but what we can do is reduce the number of crime victims each week, each month and each year, and we’re continuing to do that,” Jones said.
“The men and women of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department are dedicated to seeing our positive progress continue into 2025,” said Tracy.
“In 2024, we were reminded once again of just how thankful we are for our officers, who risk their safety to serve our community. Officer David Lee, an 18-year veteran of the SLMPD, was killed in the line of duty on September 22. He will never be forgotten.”
Lee, who was assisting a motorist in a stalled car on I-70, was struck and killed by an alleged drunk driver who is in the U.S. illegally.
“We are absolutely committed to the safety of all St. Louisans and working closely with the entire criminal justice system to hold individuals accountable,” said Tracy.
Citing the calamitous tenure of former Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, Tracy said “With Circuit Attorney Gore in office for his first full year in 2024, the SLMPD once again has a reliable partner who will ensure that criminals are held accountable.”
Gore said the Office of Violence Prevention created by Mayor Jones in 2022 is essential in the ongoing effort to reduce the crime rate.
“Working alongside the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and Office of Violence Prevention (OVP), we continue to create a higher level of public safety for the St. Louis community,” said Gore.
“We are focused on effectively prosecuting violent criminals, building trust through community engagement, and providing alternatives to incarceration where diversion is appropriate.”
According to the crime statistics, the neighborhoods targeted by OVP had a 52% decrease in murders and nonnegligent manslaughter from 2023 to 2024.
The city also improved its response time to 911 calls, according to a release.
“Current projections” show the city on its way to reaching the national goal of answering 90% of calls within the first 10 seconds.
“By implementing best practices and improving salaries for dispatchers, we have improved that percentage from about 50% in April of 2023 to over 75% on average so far,” said Jones.
Construction has started on a new 911 Dispatch Center, which will house all dispatchers when complete in 2026.