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Police chief says violent crime is down, credits NIBIN and ShotSpotter for key leads
Summary
At the July 15 St. Louis Board of Police Commissioners meeting the police chief reported year‑to‑date declines in violent crime, a reported 81% homicide clearance rate, staffing and recruiting progress, and emphasized technology such as NIBIN and ShotSpotter in investigations.
At the July 15 St. Louis Board of Police Commissioners meeting the police chief reported sustained declines in violent crime compared with prior years and highlighted technology and recruitment as contributors to investigative successes.
The chief told the board the department’s homicide clearance rate is “81 percent,” and said that using tools such as the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) and ShotSpotter has helped detectives develop leads and reduce shootings. “We’re at 81 percent homicide clearance rate,” he said. “Great work by our detectives. Great work leveraging technologies, especially with ATF and NIBIN.”
He said citywide violent crime was down about 8% year to date, and that some business corridors and neighborhoods have seen larger declines — he cited a roughly 61% reduction in downtown crime since 2022 and lower rates across multiple neighborhoods. He told commissioners the department has about 853 sworn officers now, with 19 in the current academy class and additional recruiting efforts underway. “We’re down to 853 officers… and then hopefully, we can bring more in the pipeline,” the chief said.
On ShotSpotter, the chief defended the tool’s value when used with other investigative practices: “I believe in ShotSpotter. I think it’s well worth the investment,” he said, while acknowledging that such systems are not effective in isolation. He also described operational practices — canvassing scenes, collecting shell casings and rendering first aid — that he said contributed to rapid identifications and arrests in some cases.
Board members asked how the department measures public trust and whether community‑survey tools will be used to inform deployments. The chief said the department uses clearance rates and complaint volumes alongside survey data, and that Zen City (a contracted survey vendor discussed later in the meeting) would provide neighborhood‑level sentiment metrics for commanders.
The chief left the meeting early for a scheduled Department of Justice event; commissioners thanked him for the report. No formal action was taken on the chief’s report at the meeting.
