St. Louis Police Blotter
St. Louis police blotter records are managed by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, which serves this independent city of roughly 300,000 residents. SLMPD returned to city control in 2012 after more than 150 years under a state-appointed Board of Police Commissioners. The department runs a dedicated Sunshine Law unit, a Records Division, CompStat reports, and a crime mapping tool. You can search St. Louis police blotter data through their online portal, request copies in person at 1915 Olive Street, or file a formal records request by mail or email. Multiple free tools let you track crime activity across St. Louis neighborhoods and districts.
St. Louis Quick Facts
St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department is headquartered at 1915 Olive Street, St. Louis, MO 63103. SLMPD is divided into neighborhoods and districts for patrol. Specialized units handle homicide, narcotics, and special operations cases. Media inquiries go to 314-444-5603 or media@slmpd.org.
St. Louis is an independent city, which means it does not sit inside any county. This is different from most Missouri cities. The police department handles all law enforcement within city limits and maintains its own police blotter, arrest records, and crime data separate from St. Louis County.
St. Louis Police Blotter Sunshine Law Requests
SLMPD runs a dedicated Sunshine Law unit to comply with Chapter 610 RSMo. Their goal is to make as many records publicly available as possible. You can submit requests through the online records portal, by mail to 1915 Olive Street, by email at sunshinelawrequest@slmpd.org, or in person at the Records Service Center.
The types of St. Louis police blotter records you can request include crash reports, criminal incident reports, police calls for service, and background checks. Fees are straightforward. Copies cost $0.10 per page. Research time runs $15 per hour, prorated. Most simple requests come in under $5. A city-only record check costs $4.50 and a combined city and county check is $9.00.
Open records include arrests within the last 30 days, arrests that led to a conviction, and cases where probation is still active. Closed records cover not guilty findings, dismissed charges, and suspended sentences. You will need a notarized release to access closed records in St. Louis.
SLMPD Records Division
The SLMPD Records Division is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. They offer an express pick-up option. Submit your request online, wait for a notification that it is ready, then show up with a photo ID and payment. This saves time if you need a specific St. Louis police blotter report.
Payment at the Records Division is limited to cash, money order, or business check. They do not take personal checks or debit and credit cards. You need a state-issued photo ID or valid passport. If you are picking up someone else's records, you need a notarized release from that person. Crash reports are usually ready within 5 days. Criminal and non-criminal incident reports may take longer due to review.
Note: Background checks for licensing and other purposes are also available through the Records Division.
St. Louis Crime Data and CompStat
SLMPD launched CompStat in 2023, a methodology first used by the NYPD. Weekly meetings bring commanders together to review 7-day, 28-day, and year-to-date data. Reports post on Monday, one week after the closing date. These reports cover citywide stats, comparisons by neighborhood, and comparisons across all 6 districts. The data reflects Missouri criminal codes, which may differ from FBI UCR or NIBRS categories.
The SLMPD crime mapping tool updates every 24 hours and holds 6 months of data. The map covers arson, assault, burglary, DUI, fraud, homicide, robbery, theft, vandalism, vehicle theft, and weapons violations, among other categories. Incidents show at the nearest hundred block for privacy. Domestic violence, sex crimes, and juvenile offenses do not appear on the public map.
Both CompStat reports and crime mapping let you track St. Louis police blotter trends without filing a formal request. They are free to use and do not require any login.
St. Louis City Justice Center
The St. Louis City Justice Center at 200 S. Tucker Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63102 is a medium security facility. The phone number is 314-621-5848. Office hours run Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Justice Center provides an inmate locator, inmate population data, and information about volunteer programs.
If someone was booked in St. Louis, you can use the inmate locator to check their status. This is a quick way to confirm whether a person from the St. Louis police blotter is still in custody or has been released. The Justice Center also offers work release and rehabilitation programs.
Statewide Tools for St. Louis Police Blotter
Beyond the SLMPD systems, several state-level tools help with searching St. Louis police blotter records. The Missouri Automated Criminal History Site (MACHS) at machs.mo.gov lets you run name-based criminal history checks. You need a first name, last name, and either a date of birth or Social Security Number. Results show possible matches from across Missouri, not just St. Louis. The search produces a secure PDF, and results are only available online.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol's Show Me Crime portal at showmecrime.mo.gov provides crime dashboards and statistical reports. You can filter data down to the city level to see how St. Louis police blotter numbers compare to statewide trends. The MSHP also posts online arrest reports for state troopers over the last 5 days, active missing person statistics, and sex offender registry data.
Missouri Case Net at courts.mo.gov is the statewide court records database. You can search by name or case number to find court filings tied to St. Louis police blotter arrests. This covers all Missouri courts and is free to use without an account.
St. Louis City Court Records
Because St. Louis is an independent city, it does not fall under a county government. The city operates its own court system and maintains all police blotter records within city limits. For cases that may cross into St. Louis County, you would need to check with the county police department separately. The Missouri Case Net system at courts.mo.gov can help you search across jurisdictions.
Nearby Missouri Cities
These Missouri cities are close to St. Louis and keep their own police blotter records: