Title
Approving the appointment of Axel Henry as Chief of Police.
Body
WHEREAS, on June 1, 2022, former Chief Todd Axtell retired, and Deputy Chief Jeremy Ellison began serving as Interim Chief while a process to select a new Saint Paul Chief of Police was conducted; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 12.12 of the Saint Paul City Charter and Chapter 8 of the Saint Paul Administrative Code, the City Council established minimum qualifications for the position and appointed a Chief of Police Examining Committee; and
WHEREAS, Saint Paul Police Commander Axel Henry applied for the position and was among the five candidates forwarded to the Mayor by the Examining Committee for his consideration; and
WHEREAS, Commander Henry joined the Saint Paul Police Department in 1998, and over the past 24 years has served as a patrol officer, sergeant, commander in the Central District, and senior commander of the Eastern District from 2016 to 2019, where he led 105 personnel in service to Saint Paul's busiest police district; and
WHEREAS, Commander Henry has also served in command positions in the Office of the Chief, the Family and Sexual Violence Unit, was logistics chief for Saint Paul’s emergency response at the start of the pandemic, and currently serves as commander of Narcotics, Financial Intelligence and Human Trafficking, a position he has held since 2019; and
WHEREAS, Commander Henry spearheaded the City’s body-worn camera program, designed and led the Blue-Print for Safety Program, has more than 20 years of experience as a trainer and use of force expert, and through his array of assignments, has command experience in every division; and
WHEREAS, in addition to holding a bachelor's degree in business administration and accounting and a master’s degree in educational leadership and administration from the University of St. Thomas, he is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy, the Command College at FBI Quantico & University of Virginia Master’s Program, and the Wilder Foundation’s James P. Shannon Leadership Institute; and
WHEREAS, Commander Henry's patrol and command experience, his lifetime of service to Saint Paul, and his forward-thinking approach to safety have earned him broad support from our officers, residents, and community partners; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Melvin Carter, after reviewing the recommendations of the Examining Committee, hosting two candidate forums in our community, and interviewing each of the finalists, has appointed Axel Henry as Saint Paul Police Chief; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that the Saint Paul City Council approves the Mayor’s six-year appointment of Axel Henry as the Chief of the Saint Paul Police Department, with an effective date of November 19, 2022.