St. Louis police fail to report crime data for months

(AP) Officials say that changes in the way St. Louis police record crime statistics have prevented the department from publicly publishing crime data for nearly six months.

The problem is related a switch the department made in December to a new way of tracking crime in response to FBI reporting requirements. Police department spokeswoman Michelle Woodling said the city is still working on a way to resume publishing monthly incident data.

St. Louis University sociologist Christopher Prenner, who studies crime data, said it’s important for the public to know more about crime trends in St. Louis where crime is as high as it is.