Mayor Tishaura O. Jones, in collaboration with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD), has released the first annual comprehensive report on the use of surveillance technology in St. Louis. The report emphasizes that surveillance technology, coupled with robust policies that protect civil liberties, enhances the city’s ability to tackle violent crime, particularly shooting incidents.
“Publishing this report helps the St. Louis community see that the concerns they have expressed and their advocacy for increased transparency in surveillance technology have been heard, received, and acted upon by my administration and SLMPD,” stated Mayor Jones.
In 2023, St. Louis saw a 21 percent reduction in homicides and a 22 percent decrease in part one crime. The mayor’s public safety strategy focuses on prevention, intervention, and enforcement. Surveillance technology is considered an essential tool for law enforcement to respond promptly to crime scenes and serve as an investigative instrument to bring justice to victims.
To ensure transparency, Mayor Jones issued Executive Order 78 on February 23. This order mandates the SLMPD to report on its use of surveillance technology prior to the first SLMPD-related hearing of the Board of Aldermen’s budgetary process each year. This year’s budget hearing for SLMPD is slated for May 16.
The Executive Order obliges the department to explain how it uses such technology; whether artificial intelligence is involved; how many units are deployed; how effectiveness is gauged; funding sources; request procedures; any complaints against police regarding specific technologies; and existing partnerships related to its usage.
Policies pertaining to surveillance technology are publicly accessible on SLMPD’s website since late February. Notably, ShotSpotter, now known as SoundThinking, operates within 6.26 square miles or just 10 percent of St. Louis’ total land area. As a result of SoundThinking’s deployment, officers were able to collect shell cases at shooting and assault scenes, even in cases where no 911 call was made. The city retains camera data for 30 days and license plate reader data for 90 days.
