'Heart Of The Guardian': St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell Reflects On 33-Year Career

ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) -- St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell is leaving his post in June after 33 years with the department.

In his first on-camera interview since announcing his retirement, the chief opened up to WCCO's Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield in a way he hasn't before.

The history goes deep in St. Paul. It cuts deep, too. The Rondo neighborhood was destroyed in 1964, ousting Black homeowners to make way for Interstate 94.

Rondo is where Chief Todd Axtell wanted to meet for our interview, at Golden Thyme Café, where he's a regular. It was there that we grabbed coffee, and he spilled the tea about the decades-long career he's leaving behind.

"It's kinda bittersweet, but it's nice to share some of my stories," Axtell said.

It's been bittersweet from the start. The very day he got his dream job, he got a terrible call. Frank Baker was minding his own business and making a phone call when he was attacked by a K-9 and then beaten by a police officer. Chief Axtell quickly found himself apologizing.

"I looked at Mr. Baker and he looked at me, and he was in really tough shape at the time. And I remember what he said to me, he said, 'You know Chief, I can see the dog maybe biting my leg, but the officer that kicked me three times, and that was way over the top,'" Axtell said.

The chief says he felt "deep responsibility."

"It's my department. I am the head of the organization, and the buck stops at my desk," he said.

After investigating, Chief Axtell made some swift changes.

"Kicks and strikes are down significantly, 60-plus percent, our civil liability payouts, specifically 2019 and 2020, was $24,000 and $5,000, respectively, and we are really proud of that in St. Paul," Axtell said. "Everything that we do should be designed to make deposits into the bank of trust with our community. And it could take one bad incident to happen to take your entire bank account."

And there's no better example of that than what happened one city over in May of 2020.

"When you saw the video of George Floyd being killed, how did that fall on you?" Littlefield asked.

"One of the worst days of my career when I saw that video," Axtell said. "It was gut-wrenching to see as a police officer. And as a human, it really pissed me off, beyond any description that I could give you right now."

EXTENDED INTERVIEW: Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield Talks With Chief Todd Axtell

He says he could tell immediately from watching video of Floyd's murder that the actions of the officers weren't protocol.

"I remember clearly telling our department and any department across the country that would listen that if you see this video and in any way, shape or form believe that that is a reasonable use of force, please get a hold of me because you can turn your badge in," Axtell said.

Since the chief has been in office, four people have died in the hands of officers. He says each of those cases met protocol.

"What does it feel like on your end when you hear there has been an officer-involved shooting and that someone has been killed by a police officer?" Littlefield asked.

"That's the most tragic, heart wrenching call that I get as a chief of police," he said.

"What do you think could be done so that police kill fewer people?" Littlefield asked.

"We have focused on de-escalation training, crisis intervention training," he said. "Also focus first and foremost on hiring the heart, the heart of the guardian. A person who wants to become a police officer has to show me as the chief that they have the heart of a guardian, first and foremost ... and not the mentality of wanting to be a warrior all the time."

And hiring is one of his proudest points. In 2007, he created a partnership with the YWCA, and it's resulted in recruiting the most diverse class in department history.

"That's been one of the most fulfilling parts of my time as chief is to see that transformation of our department," he said.

It's a unifying vision that's been well received at Golden Thyme.

"That overall support of respect in the community, Todd adhered to that solidly, and that is so appreciative," said Golden Thyme owner Mychael Wright.

And it has echoed over at the Hmongtown Marketplace, too, which is owned by Toua Xiong.

"There are about 60 Hmong police officers today in the city," Xiong said. "It is great, it is great. That mean when we call police, the person who comes here might be someone who speaks our language."

And when Axtell does leave this summer, he won't be going far.

"I'm going to stay here in St. Paul. This is my town, this is my city," he said. "I'm going to continue to live here. You don't have to be a police chief to make the world better."

Chief Axtell and his assistant chief, who is also retiring, plan to start a law enforcement consulting company.

Watch part 2 of Axtell's interview with Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield here.