Governor Honors Retiring Minn. Police Chief with Special Day
By Molly Guthrey and Mara H. Gottfried
Source Pioneer Press
Gov. Tim Walz proclaimed Wednesday as “Chief Todd Axtell Day” in Minnesota to honor the outgoing chief of the St. Paul Police Department.
The proclamation aligns with the last day of Axtell’s 6-year term; it is also his final day of work before retiring from the department.
“Under Chief Axtell’s leadership,” the proclamation declared, “the Saint Paul Police Department has used lower levels of force than ever before, reduced civil payouts to record lows, publicly shared more data than ever, and engaged the community at historic levels, further establishing itself as a national model for a 21st century police department.”
The declaration repeats the language used in a similar resolution passed last week by the St. Paul City Council, which has declared Wednesday as Todd Axtell Day in St. Paul.
Axtell, 54, joined the St. Paul Police Department as a patrol officer in 1989, worked in various jobs throughout the department as he rose through the ranks to assistant chief, and was appointed chief by then-Mayor Chris Coleman in summer 2016.
During Axtell’s time as chief, he overhauled use-of-force policies and training to focus on de-escalation, further diversified the department’s ranks, and strived for transparency by releasing body-camera footage and data about traffic stops. He also had to lead through several crises, including the civil unrest in St. Paul after George Floyd’s killing in Minneapolis, a record-high number of homicides and the need to keep officers working through the coronavirus pandemic.
On Wednesday, Axtell’s last day at the police department, he plans to spend some of it responding to calls with his son, a St. Paul sergeant, which is a tradition for retiring St. Paul officers with family members who are also on the job.
What’s next? Axtell is starting a consulting firm, the Axtell Group. He said he intends to work with public and private-sector organizations on safety and security consulting, crisis management and communication, and management consulting.
He’s also looking forward to spending more time with his family, including his wife, Lisa, his two adult children, two stepdaughters and seven grandchildren.
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