Discrepancy In St. Louis Crime Reporting Ignored By Top Officials

A memo delivered this summer to the St. Louis Police Board disclosed a problem with the crime statistics being issued by the city, but apparently nobody read it. The city has been embarrassed by a discrepancy in its crime reporting. Initially, city officials touted a drop in crime in 2003; nearly a record low. Then came the discovery that more than 5,700 crimes had been left off the report, which would have made 2003 a high-crime year. The Police Department’s Crime Data Director wrote a memo, pointing out the problem. St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay admits he didn’t read the memo and says none of his staff seems to have read it either.