ST. LOUIS—Marking his first year on the job as Chief of Police for the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, Robert Tracy gave department staff a grade of an “A+” and himself a “B” as officials take stock of a ten-year low of homicides while conceding there is more work ahead.

What You Need To Know about St. Louis crime statistics

  • 21% reduction in murders (158 in 2023 compared to 200 in 2022)
  • 24% reduction in shooting incidents (550 in 2023 compared to 722 in 2022)
  • 23% reduction in shooting victims (631 in 2023 compared to 821 in 2022)
  • 47% decrease in juvenile shooting victims in 2023

Tracy, the first police chief hired from outside the department in the agency’s history, also gave his most extensive comments since a police cruiser crashed into a St. Louis bar last month, leading to the arrest of the bar’s owner.

Chad Morris, the co-owner of Bar:PM, an LGBTQIA+ bar on South Broadway, was charged with assaulting an officer after the crash in the early morning hours of Dec. 18. A police report states Morris “responded to the scene and became upset over the incident, then began shouting obscenities towards the officers on scene.”

Tracy has faced criticism for not releasing body camera footage from the incident, citing state law and the ongoing nature of the investigation. The department made an exception and did allow a handful of members of the Board of Aldermen and some on the Mayor’s LGBTQIA+ Advisory Board to view some of the footage.

Tracy said Tuesday that 15 minutes after the incident, one of the officers, who was still under probation as a new hire, told a supervisor that they made a mistake, and that body camera footage captured one of the officers saying “no one here is more remorseful of crashing into your establishment.”

“I’m glad those officers are all right. I feel bad and I’m sorry their establishment got hit and they got the damage that happened to that place. Nobody wants to see that. There is remorse about that because our actions affect people and look at the way it’s affected people,” Tracy said.

“They made a mistake and we will review that. Just because they made a mistake doesn’t mean we won’t hold them accountable,” Tracy said. “Are they going to be held accountable? Yes.”

Disciplining officers, Tracy said, includes retraining them, and he acknowledged that after a handful of other vehicle crashes involving officers recently, the department may review the work done after probationary officers complete 40 hours of defensive driving training in the academy and are working with a more senior officer during their first six months.

Changing the model

Tracy credited a series of changes in the year since his arrival for starting to stem the tide of staff shortages which he says still requires the city to pay overtime to cover shifts. Police academy classes are starting every two to three months instead of waiting for six. He said 14 officers returned to the force from other departments over the past year and that with raises approved last year, he’s able to lure officers who didn’t already have a history with the force.

The shortage of staff is one reason why both of the department’s unions have backed a return to state control, something Tracy went to Jefferson City to testify against not long after he arrived.

“Last year, when our state legislature fought tooth and nail to take over our police department, I told them to give the chief time. Unfortunately, it has not stopped them from coming back at us again this year, but we’re headed in the right direction,” Mayor Tishaura Jones said Tuesday.

“I’m encouraged by our progress, but let me be clear. We are not here to celebrate. One life lost to violence is one too many,” she said.

“It’s progress. None of this is a victory lap because we have so much more work to do,” Tracy said.