St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore marks 2 years in office, addresses call for sheriff’s removal

ST. LOUIS (First Alert 4) - St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore today laid out his accomplishments two years after taking office, Tuesday.

In that time, he says his office has hired 109 attorneys and staff, reduced the backlog of homicide cases by about 100, and cut the average number of days to charge a case to 217 — a 53% improvement compared to when he first took over.

Gore said the Circuit Attorney’s Office continues to operate with a lean staff to handle its daily workload.

While taking questions, First Alert 4 asked Gore about the controversies involving Sheriff Alfred Montgomery and his office.

Gore said he has his hands full with the Circuit Attorney’s Office, but he did read the letter from a group of local attorneys who called for the sheriff’s removal last week.

Gore noted that he has the authority to issue a quo warranto if needed.

“My office does have statutory authority to issue a quo warranto proceeding — as does the AG and the city counselor’s office. I am aware of my statutory authority. As with all statutory authority vested [in me], I intend to look at the law, the facts, evaluate it, and exercise my best judgment,” Gore said.

Tornado impact and witness displacement

Asked if the recent tornado had impacted crime, Gore said, “Not in any way that I’ve seen tangibly, but I do think it’s a concern. Obviously, a lot of people have been displaced. When you have witnesses and victims displaced from their residences, it’s more difficult to prosecute cases. When people face additional challenges day to day, that makes it less likely they will be active participants in the criminal justice system.”

Gore on Flemming’s resignation

Gore addressed the recent resignation of U.S. Attorney Saylor Flemming.

“Saylor Flemming was an excellent U.S. attorney. She was great to work with and really stepped up when we needed to address the homicide backlog,” Gore said. “I am sorry to see her resign. My name is not in consideration for U.S. attorney — so I will be here in the CAO for the rest of my term.”

He added that the federal team’s work in handling 20 homicide cases is now largely complete. “At this point, those cases are handled by our office. We still have the assistance of two great special assistants,” Gore said.

Gore said he does have concern how long his office can sustain its current place.

“I do worry about how long that is sustainable, which is why we are working hard to get fully staffed,” Gore explained. “We believe when we get to 60 attorneys, we will be functioning at a sustainable level.”

Gore emphasized that 48 attorneys is not enough. “There is a big difference between 48 and 60,” he said.

He noted the most overworked unit is the violent crime unit.

“Our target is for each attorney to handle 40 cases at a time,” Gore shared. ”Currently, they are handling twice that,” he said. “It’s a concern, and it’s something we are working hard to address.”

Staffing, priorities, and technology

Gore said the current budget s 60 attorneys, which he described as “lean.”

“At the end of Jennifer Joyce’s tenure in 2016, there were 60 attorneys. Ten years later, we’re seeking to be staffed at that same level,” he said.

The Board of Aldermen also approved a dedicated conviction integrity attorney.

Gore is rebuilding the office’s data analysis unit, which existed under the Joyce istration but was dismantled during Kim Gardner’s tenure.

“We think data-driven prosecution is an important part of what we do, so the budget s rebuilding that,” he said.

The budget also includes for attorneys needed to meet court-ordered procedures in bond divisions — specifically, eight attorneys for Divisions 25 and 26.

“These are the kinds of things necessary to have a well-functioning Circuit Attorney’s Office that can contribute to achieving a higher level of safety for St. Louis and the region,” Gore said.

Gore has launched several new initiatives and shared updates on efforts to strengthen his office’s operations and community partnerships.

The Citizens Academy was launched to give the public an opportunity to learn about the inner workings of the Circuit Attorney’s Office over several weeks.

Also launched: the Neighborhood Ownership Model, designed to work with communities on issued cases and provide to witnesses and victims.

Gore also revived the office’s diversion program, which he said was “basically nonexistent” before launching in January 2024. As of early this year, the program had graduated 17 participants.

“Our program reflects our effort to be a good community partner, offer low-level violent offenders an opportunity to improve their lives, and do the work necessary to be productive participants in our community,” Gore said.

The treatment court currently has 115 participants, who chose to enter the program to overcome addiction instead of serving jail time. Since Gore took office, 27 people have graduated from treatment court.

“It’s a program I have personally attended a number of graduations for. It’s an inspiring program,” Gore said.

In February 2025, the office launched a Tap-In Center — a program allowing individuals with outstanding warrants to voluntarily appear on a weekly basis. So far, it has served 209 people.

The office also created a Conviction Integrity Unit. One of its notable successes: the case of Christopher Dunn, who was wrongfully convicted and served more than 30 years in prison. The motion to vacate his conviction was filed in February 2024, and Dunn was released in July 2024. He remains a free man, although the matter is still under appeal. One full-time attorney has been hired to lead the unit.

IT and discovery improvements

The office has made key technology upgrades to improve discovery production.

“So much of discovery is now video. We’ve made upgrades to produce that electronically without burning discs,” Gore shared. “When I got here, we had two investigators just burning discs to produce electronic evidence. We’ve addressed that.”

He also noted a dramatic improvement in reliability.

“When I got here, it was not unusual for our IT system to crash once a week, which made it difficult to function,” Gore said.

To continue moving his office forward, Gore says investment in people and competitive salaries is critical.

The Board of Aldermen approved 60 attorneys in the new fiscal budget, though Gore says he’d like to get closer to 70.

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