ST. LOUIS — The City of St. Louis has a new top prosecutor.
Gabe Gore was sworn in Tuesday, two weeks after Kim Gardner officially resigned from the post as St. Louis Circuit Attorney.
Here's what Gore said after he took the oath of office. He thanked everyone in attendance and the citizens of St. Louis before continuing:
Thank you for being here today. Evan, thank you very much for those kind introductory remarks.
And also thank you to the Attorney General's office that have provided some staffing during this transition period. And they're going to continue to provide some staffing for the next couple of weeks as we get on our feet.
I want to say thank you to Governor Parson for giving me this opportunity to restore the public trust and confidence in the Circuit Attorney's Office.
It is a responsibility that I accept knowing that failure is not an option. I seek a high level of public safety for every citizen in the St Louis region. That is what is necessary for our region to prosper and thrive.
I have had the good fortune of practicing law for nearly 30 years, well before those years have been here in the St. Louis region. I served as a federal prosecutor here in St. Louis and in that role, I saw firsthand the transformative impact that effective strategic prosecution can have on neighborhoods and the community.
We have a violent crime crisis here in St. Louis. We are losing far too many young, promising lives to violence. In order to reduce that violence, it's going to take all of us working together. It's going to take working with police, my fellow prosecutors, elected officials, clergy, social service agencies, educators and every citizen who seeks that high level of public safety so that we can thrive. It's going to take a balanced approach that involves prevention, intervention and enforcement.
As I take this office, I'd like to thank my family for their love and encouragement. Particularly point out my father, who drove here today from South Carolina. It's that kind of support that's going to carry me through when times are tough.
My top priorities: first to put in place a senior staff. That will lead the office's resurgence. And along with me, restart the office to a level where we can meet the demands of the public.
We will also work collaboratively with our partners. I see Police Chief Tracy here today. We will work with him. I've already had a conversation with him. I see Wesley Bell here today, St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney. We met already this week and have already talked about ways that our officers can work together and collaborate. And of course, Mayor Jones, we're going to work closely with you, as well as County Executive Page.
First day, my goal will be to stabilize the office and get back to where the circuit attorney's office is fulfilling its critical role in the criminal justice process. And I will do that by instilling a culture in the office in which we strive for excellence in everything we do. We will also get to work on the backlog of cases. It's a tremendous backlog and it's going to be hard work.
And we understand full well that we're going to have to do all of these things at once. We have no illusions. This will not be easy. But starting today, working together, we can restore the public's confidence and trust in the circuit attorney's office because public service is a public trust. We're ready to get to work. Thank you.