Mayor Chris Coleman and City Council President Russ Stark today (August 23, 2016) announced that Saint Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell will provide a detailed assessment of his department 100 days into his role as Chief. The Chief will provide the assessment during a regularly scheduled meeting of the Saint Paul City Council on September 28, 2016.
“I really do believe that the Saint Paul Police Department is setting a high standard for community policing and leading the nation in how we engage and build trust with the communities we serve – including practices that reflect many of the Obama Administration’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing recommendations,” said Mayor Chris Coleman. “I appointed Chief Axtell to the role of Chief, in large part, because of his emphasis on relationship building, his refusal to shy away from even the toughest of conversations and his vision for building on the strengths of our department. I am looking forward to hearing from him 100 days into his tenure as Chief.”
As conversation about effective community policing continues in Minnesota and across the nation, the Chief will provide an overview of the department’s current strengths and opportunities for improvement, and present his plan for galvanizing and strengthening the Saint Paul Police Department’s reputation as a national model of excellence. He will also address his three priorities for the department, including: reducing gun violence, diversifying the department and expanding community engagement.
“We are fortunate to have a Chief and command staff focused on what matters most – ensuring top-notch public safety and a strong level of trust between our police officers and those they serve,” said City Council President Russ Stark. “As part of our continual efforts to ensure we are relying on best practices in policing, I’m especially interested in creating an opportunity for the public to hear directly from their Chief about how our department is performing and where he’d like to see some growth and change.”
The council meeting, which is open to the public, will be held at 3:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers, located in 300 City Hall (15 Kellogg Blvd. W., Saint Paul). The presentation will also be live-streamed and archived on stpaul.gov.
For more information about the Saint Paul Police Department, visit stpaul.gov/police or follow the department on Facebook at facebook.com/stpaulpolice.