ST. LOUIS — Republican skepticism over the accuracy of crime statistics in the city of St. Louis continued Friday, with a call by House Speaker Dean Plocher for a state audit. Mayor Tishaura Jones called the request a stunt, while the city’s police chief said “statistics don’t lie.”

"I am deeply troubled by the recent outbreak of violence in St. Louis," said Speaker Plocher in a Friday statement. "The safety of our citizens is paramount for all elected officials. Mayor Jones’ failure to protect the citizens of St. Louis has put us in a position where we must take decisive action to ensure the safety of our community."

City officials have touted a decline in violent crime, with 2023 statistics showing year-over-year reductions in murders, shootings, shooting victims and felony thefts. Plocher, a candidate for Secretary of State in a crowded Republican primary, may have been referring to a violent start to the month that included 17 shooting victims and three fatalities over a weekend span. 

Police faced broader criticism for not publishing detailed monthly crime statistics, which the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported earlier this year began again after a three-year lapse. Officials still reported annual data for federal reporting.

Republican lawmakers who have called for the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department to return to a state-controlled board have jumped on the data reporting issue as one of the reasons why in recent years.

Plocher, of Des Peres, accused the city of “downplaying the true numbers” Friday and said “crimes committed by illegal immigrants are currently not recorded in the official crime statistics.” SLMPD said that the claim is “totally false,” while Chief Robert Tracy said in a statement to Spectrum News that “statistics don’t lie.”

“It's disappointing that the Speaker, who does not live in St. Louis, would disparage the brave men and women serving the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the work they do in partnership with the community to keep citizens safe. Throwing out politically motivated and inflammatory attacks does not serve anyone. Statistics don't lie-- crime in 2024 is down 19% compared to this time last year, something our residents and the Speaker can see on the crime statistics page of our website. I encourage the Speaker to attend our next internal CompStat meeting, so he can see firsthand how we're making St. Louis safer for everyone.”

Plocher did not respond to questions Friday afternoon. 

A bill waiting for a decision by Gov. Mike Parson would give the state auditor subpoena power. 

“Missouri law allows my office to conduct an investigation of improper government activity in a municipality,” State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick said in a statement Friday. “Currently, these investigations do not include subpoena authority, and as such we would be reliant on the same city officials Speaker Plocher is concerned with providing us with the information we need to perform a thorough analysis.”

While Fitzpatrick’s statement says he shares Plocher’s concerns about violent crime, a spokesperson did not explicitly say the office planned to agree to the request.

St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones called the request a distraction from allegations in a lawsuit filed by the Missouri House’s Chief Clerk over claims of whistleblower retaliation while Plocher was under investigation by an ethics committee.

“While Speaker Plocher may be looking for a convenient distraction from the serious and concerning allegations made against him by non-partisan House staff, he should refrain from using his taxpayer-funded office for these types of campaign stunts,” Jones said. “While we continue doing the work to combat violent crime, I am confident in our crime statistics and the progress we are making to make St. Louis safer.”