St. Louis County, Missouri

St. Louis County is a department consisting of eight main precincts, with varying demographics, yet the prevalent crime types in each are auto theft, larcenies, and aggravated assault with a firearm. The Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) summary data from 2017-2019 shows a clear increase of these crime types between 2018 and 2019, though increases are not evenly distributed across the patrol areas. Currently, the Department patrols the 370+ square miles of unincorporated St. Louis County and 88 additional municipalities within the County. In 2015, the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) published a report describing the fragmentation in the St. Louis area and how the involvement of various law enforcement agencies leads to confusion and fragmented data sharing. In an effort to address the fragmented data sharing, the Department’s project will enhance the already implemented CARA system (Computer Aided Entry System), which others agencies use with limited sharing abilities. The proposed enhancements will include developing a dashboard for all users, develop reporting functions for agencies with limited staff capabilities, eliminate reliance on an analyst to data before it’s accessible, and further integrate the software as the primary data system.