St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell On His Roots, And His Future After Retirement
ST. PAUL (WCCO) - St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell, who has been with the department since 1989, is retiring from the force in June. He opened up about where things stand and what brought him to this point and one of the biggest challenges the next chief will have to face.
Axtell sat down with Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield at the Hmong Marketplace for an emotional interview.
Chief Axtell reflects, "When I started 33 years ago, St. Paul consisted of 18% diversity and now on the eve of my retirement 51% diverse, this continues to be the melting pot."
And this is a chief whose been stirring the pot in the force for 33 years, working to unify in disjointed times. He created the most diverse department in history, and employees speak a variety of languages.
It's a feat the owner of the market savors. Toua Xiong says, "It is only helpful, that's huge, that's huge, and it's a big thank you to the city of St. Paul for giving us the man who is leaving in June."
And what a journey it's been to get to this fork in the road. Axtell is a Minnesota native; he spent much of his childhood growing up in a mobile home park in Northfield.
With tears in his eyes, he answered affirmatively, "It came from great parents…who taught me from a very young age what respect was..and that's resonated through my whole life."
It's a life that is soon to change, as he'll have more time to spend with his role models. He says that as he ends his six-year term as chief, "I am absolutely ready to let the new chief, the next generation, the next chief to step up and make the department better than when they found it."
And even though he's leaving the force, he vows to stay on mission.
"You're gonna see me in this coffee shop, you're gonna see me up at Hmongtown and in the grocery stores and business to make this city better. I look forward to making the world better as a citizen," Axtell said.
Axtell says he believes the next chief will have to make gun violence top priority.
The chief and Assistant Chief Robert Thomasser, who is also retiring, are planning to start a law enforcement consulting business.
Watch part 1 of Axtell's interview with Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield here.
