St. Paul Police Chief Thomas Smith to Retire
By Mara H. Gottfried
When Thomas Smith became St. Paul's police chief, the principal at Humboldt High School thought Smith's busy job might cause him to step back from mentoring students at his alma mater. But Smith, who has championed his department's youth work, has continued to volunteer at the West Side school during his five years as chief, said Principal Mike Sodomka. When Smith said Friday that he would retire as chief next year, Sodomka joked that Smith will have even more time to spend at Humboldt. Smith's six-year term as chief ends next year. "In the last couple months, as we started looking at his reappointment date, he started hinting he might be ready to retire," Mayor Chris Coleman said Friday. Smith, 57, made it official Friday with a public statement. Smith became a St. Paul officer in 1989 and is a native of the city's West Side, where he still lives. He stressed strong community ties when Coleman appointed him chief in 2010. Smith said Friday he's been proud of his department's community outreach work. "Under Chief Smith's leadership, the St. Paul Police Department has become a national model for a 21st century police department," Coleman said in a statement Friday. "His emphasis on strong community relationships, building trust and creating a strong pipeline of diverse future officers will have a lasting impact on public safety and policing in our community." Smith intends to retire between April and June, and the city will soon look for his replacement. In St. Paul, police chiefs have traditionally been selected from officers who have risen through the ranks to upper management. Coleman said in an interview Friday that he'll look internally, along with conducting a broad search, to find the best candidate. He said he's not looking for "someone who can shake up the department" but "someone who can continue to build on the legacy." Smith leads a department of more than 600 officers with an $86 million budget. He was chief during a time that major crime decreased in St.
Paul, while attention increased, around the country and locally, on police use of force against citizens. The chief has said that efforts to connect with the community have become the department's "bread and butter" and that they make a difference "even during tough times." Jeff Martin, St. Paul NAACP president, said he sees the police chief job as a difficult one balancing different interests because "you have to answer to the mayor, the public and the staff you lead, and you can never make all three groups happy at the same time. These past years, it's been an even tougher time to be a police chief in America, but I think (Smith's) weathered the storm." Rank-and-file St. Paul officers believe Smith "is a good man" who "has served the city during what have been extremely tough times for law enforcement," said Chris Wachtler, St. Paul Police Federation attorney, in a Friday statement. "However, we have been disappointed with his refusal to be more outspoken in support of his officers following certain high-profile incidents, and with his refusal to challenge the mayor to pay St. Paul police officers competitively," Wachtler continued. The Federation contract expires at year's end, and it's negotiating a new one with the city. During Smith's more than five years as chief, his department: -- Revamped the crime lab after public defenders' inquiries disclosed flawed drug-testing practices in 2012 at the then-unaccredited lab. The department moved its drug-testing functions to the state's accredited lab, while the SPPD lab earned international accreditation in forensic testing last year. -- Ushered in new technology for the department. Squad car cameras were added to nearly all patrol cars. Smith also had officers begin monitoring the city's network of surveillance cameras, which are mounted in public places. -- Hired 121 officers, including the largest number of police officers in more than three decades last year, following a burst of retirements. About one-third of the new officers were veterans, and more than a quarter were people of color, which the department said was among its most diverse police academy class ever. -- Conducted a major investigation into the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, resulting in criminal charges over the handling of an abusive priest. The archdiocese didn't enter a plea at its initial hearing last month. As Smith announced his retirement Friday, he highlighted his department's community outreach work. He pointed to the St. Paul Youth Intervention Initiative, intended to help young people get out and stay out of gangs, plus the department's partnership with the YWCA St. Paul to create the Ambassador program that works to reduce youth violence. Smith has also been proud of the Safe Summer Nights program, which hosted community barbecues and served more than 30,000 meals to residents. "It has been my great honor and privilege to serve as chief of police for this great city," Smith said in a statement. He was out of town Friday and unavailable for comment. Smith, whose salary was $151,000 last year, worked at every rank within the St. Paul department and was an assistant chief before he took the helm. Smith still lives in the West Side house he grew up in and is married to his high school sweetheart, who also attended Humboldt. He started a mentoring program at Humboldt 12 years ago -- there are 60 youths and 40-50 community members who participate, said Sodomka, the principal. Smith continues to work directly with students as a mentor. "They really look at the chief not so much as a police officer but as someone who provides advice and opportunities for kids," Sodomka said. "Police don't always have the most favorable image in our community, and he's put a much friendlier face on it to them." Billy Collins, who retired this year as CEO of the YWCA St. Paul, has known Smith for more than 25 years and works with him on the Ambassador program. He said Smith stayed true as chief to the things that mattered to him as a young patrol officer. "He's always had a knack for working to defuse what could ultimately turn out to be an uncomfortable or violent situation," Collins said. "He always had a passion for working with young people and trying to steer them on the right course. ... The chief says, 'I can lock up people for forever and a day, but eventually they're going to come out and do something else,' and he's looked for other ways." Though when it comes to people who commit violence, Collins said Smith has been serious about having his department investigate those individuals and seek charges. Smith's immediate plans, after he turns in his badge, will be to relax, travel and enjoy his family, which includes several grandchildren. He said he is not sure what will follow but added, "I look forward to new opportunities in public or community service." St. Paul's next police chief will take over at a time of further change for the department. Police plan a pilot program for body-worn cameras for officers next year. And the city is in the midst of discussions about how to handle complaints against police, after an audit recommended the Police Civilian Internal Affairs Review Commission should be more independent of the police department. Coleman and City Council President Russ Stark will announce steps related to the search for a new police chief before the end of the year, the mayor said in an email Friday to all city employees. Selecting the next chief will be a multi-step process that is laid out by the city charter. A committee vets police chief applicants and recommends five to the mayor, who will pick one. The city council must ratify the appointment. Dan Bauman contributed to this report. Mara H. Gottfried can be reached at 651-228-5262. Follow her at twitter.com/MaraGottfried.
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