The Saint Paul Police Department (SPPD) is the main law enforcement agency with jurisdiction over the City of Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. It was established in 1854, making it the oldest police organization in the state. The SPPD is the second largest law enforcement agency in Minnesota, after the

Minneapolis Police Department The Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) is the primary law enforcement agency in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It is also the largest police department in Minnesota. Formed in 1867, it is the second-oldest police department in Minnesot ...

. The department consists of 615 sworn officers and 200 non-sworn officials.City of St. Paul, MN - Official Website - Police
Saint Paul Police Historical Society — Home
/ref> The current interim Chief of Police is Jeremy Ellison. He was appointed to the position in May 2022, following Todd Axtell tenuring his retirement from the position of Chief of Police, which he had held since 2016.

History

In 1920 St. Paul Councilman and Public Safety Commissioner Aloysius Smith, requested that the

St. Paul Police The Saint Paul Police Department (SPPD) is the main law enforcement agency with jurisdiction over the City of Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. It was established in 1854, making it the oldest police organization in the state. The SPPD is t ...

start a Police program for the youth. Origins of the School Safety Patrol, 1921, MNOPEDIA, Minnesota Historical Society website, Eric W. Weber, St. Paul, Minnesota, published: October 29, 201

/ref> Sergeant Frank Hetznecke was selected to create the program. In its first year, 750 students signed up for the training program and in February 1921 the first student monitored crossing took place with students from Cathedral of Saint Paul (Minnesota), Cathedral school on Kellogg Blvd. Sergeant Hetznecke is credited with introducing the Sam Browne belt and badge that became synonymous with school patrol across the country and administering St. Paul's program for 30 years. During the Prohibition era, the department was remarkably corrupt. In 1936, the chief, Thomas Brown was fired after an investigation showed he had protected criminals including the Dillinger and the Barker-Karpis gangs. An arrest outside of a bar on 26 September 2010 is the subject of a lawsuit that claims excessive force. In March 2011, the elite Gang Strike Force was disestablished when a state audit could not account for 13 vehicles and over $18,000 in cash the unit had seized. The auditor's report indicated that Officer Ron Ryan had sold property his detail had retained. Press reports indicated the unit used money taken from gang members to attend a 2009 professional conference held in Hawaii. The SPPD had two prominent incidents of misconduct in relation to their dogs in 2016 and 2017.

Command structure

NOTE: By contract, all investigators (detectives) hold the rank of sergeant. * The time that a uniformed sergeant holds this rank is shown by arcs below the chevrons, one for each 5 years after promotion. After three are obtained the next 5 year periods give progressively a diamond and then a star in the field between the arcs and chevrons. Although this is analogous to the uniforms of the United States Army, no additional command authority is granted.

Department awards

The department has only issued medals / awards since 1971. The current medals are: *Medal of Valor Class A *Medal of Merit Class B *Medal of Commendation *Life Saving Award *Chief's Award For Valor *Chief's Award For Merit *Chief's Award *Officer of the Year *Detective of the Year *Civilian Employee of the year

Department size

Like most major cities, the city of St. Paul saw a population decline beginning in the late 1960s. However, the department continued to grow. Saint Paul Police Federation
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References

External links