ST. LOUIS — The city of St. Louis has a new police chief.
Chief Robert Tracy, the current chief of Wilmington, Delaware, will be the city's next top cop.
St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones announced Tracy as the new chief Wednesday at an 11 a.m. press conference. He will officially step into the role on Jan. 9, becoming St. Louis’ first chief hired from outside the department.
The city will pay him $175,000 and the St. Louis Police Foundation is kicking in another $100,000 -- making him the highest-paid chief the city has seen as well.
In January, Tracy, who oversees the police department in Delaware’s largest city, was given a vote of no confidence by the Wilmington city council. According to NPR/PBS affiliate WHYY, the resolution stemmed in part from an appearance at a public safety committee meeting where he discussed the department's lack of diversity among leadership positions.
Tracy addressed the issue during the press conference, saying, "That was very short lived. We actually sat down and talked about these things to make sure that we were doing the things that our community expected. The community in return, also supported what we were doing, as far as getting the diversity, the transparency, and the things that we were doing. So that was an issue that was about 11 months ago, has not been an issue since then. And it really has been resurrected only because I've taken this position."
Tracy has said he would step down as chief in Wilmington regardless of whether he was selected as St. Louis’ next top cop.
At the press conference, Tracy listed his experience working at the New York and Chicago police departments before he took over as chief in Wilmington. He said the city there was dubbed “Murdertown, USA” by Newsweek, and later was heralded as going from “Murdertown to Turnaround Town.”
It's a city of about 70,000 people. St. Louis' population is about 300,000.
Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki issued a statement regarding Tracy's imminent departure from the city, saying he leaves the post with "record reductions in homicides, the lowest violence in a decade, the lowest number of complaints against our police officers, and a very high level of officer retention.”
Responding to questions about how he will connect with St. Louis' minority community, Tracy said Wilmington was a majority-minority city with a 65% Black population and the faith leaders there were sad to see him go.
Jones included recommendation letters from faith leaders, including several from Black churches.
"We have been in the streets together during riots and community disturbances. His heart for the city was always seen in his positive and optimistic voice in the room. He is relentless when it comes to driving crime down, and our city is a better place because of his tenacity and determination," wrote Bishop George Gibson II.
When asked about a plan to reduce violent crime, Tracy said his first step will be to sit down with department leaders, union representatives, and police officers to assess what the city's needs are.
“I promise you there will be a transparent plan that will be out there, but I have to get out and look under the hood to make sure that I see what’s going on and I know the issues that are here," Tracy said.
When asked how he would address the historically contentious relationship between the police department and St. Louis Attorney Kim Gardner's office, Tracy said being an outsider was an advantage because he can begin to build his own relationship.
"When I sit down with Kim Gardner, she's going to give me her expectations and I can tell her what my ideas are," he said. "I'm not privy to what has gone on that reporters are talking about right now.
"But I certainly will address them. I'm going to meet with my command staff. Today, I'm going to meet with officers, I'm going to be meeting with the unions. And I'm going to get some feedback to see exactly what their concerns are."
Following Tracy's introduction, Gardner tweeted: "I’d like to personally congratulate Chief Robert Tracy. My office and I look forward to working together to make our city safer and more just for all who live here."
The Department of Personnel said 42 people applied for the police chief position following a national search. Tracy was one of four finalists including Deputy Chief Melron Kelly of the Columbia, South Carolina Police Department withdrew from the running.
Finalist Larry Boone recently retired as the Norfolk, Virginia, police chief in April. In an interview with 13 NewsNow in Virginia, Boone said gun violence definitely played a role in his decision to end his tenure as chief.
Lt. Col. Michael Sack, who also was a finalist and had been serving as interim chief until a replacement could be found, announced in an email to his department Tuesday afternoon that he has not been selected to lead the department.
“While I have not been selected to serve as the Chief of Police, together, we will continue to work hard to make a difference in our community,” Sack wrote.
Mayor Tishaura Jones and Interim Public Safety Director Dan Isom both praised Sack for his service as the interim chief.
Deputy Public Safety Director Heather Taylor sent an email Tuesday to police commanders titled, "Meet and Greet with new Chief of Police," saying a mandatory meeting is planned for 1 p.m. at police headquarters.
Following the announcement, the St. Louis Ethical Society of Police released the following statement:
"ESOP aspires to work diligently with the new chief towards making the agency equitable and fair for our officers and develop better community policing for all.
"We have long called for more transparency and input. That starts with our plans to meet with the new chief in the immediate future to discuss our priorities, concerns and perspective.
"We will hold him to high standards as we have previous chiefs and do everything we can to work together and support progress."
The St. Louis Police Officers Association released a statement, too:
"The St. Louis Police Officers’ Association is looking forward to working with the newly selected Chief, Robert Tracy. The Association is glad this process has come to an end and we are pleased there will finally be some stability in the Chief’s office.
"Chief Tracy is facing many challenges within the community and with crime but he will also take the helm of the department during a staffing crisis with all-time low numbers for officers and support staff alike. In addition, Chief Tracy is dealing with a serious recruitment and retention problem that stems mostly from the huge pay disparity between our officers and the officers from other departments in the surrounding area.
"We are encouraged by what we’ve heard from Chief Tracy thus far. We are optimistic that he will address officer morale and we are pleased by his willingness to engage with our Police Association, along with the other police leadership groups, to help this City and this department move forward. We stand ready to assist in making this a smooth transition for him and we are excited about the opportunity to work with him going forward."
Mayor Jones released the following statement in a news release:
“After a competitive national search, multiple listening sessions, a public survey, and a successful town hall, I am proud to announce that St. Louis has selected Chief Robert Tracy as our next Chief of Police.
"Chief Tracy has a demonstrable record of reducing violent crime while building deep ties to community and faith leaders. He will be a trusted partner in our work to reimagine public safety in our city as we strengthen alternative response programs like Cops & Clinicians and 911 Call Diversion. Bringing in fresh perspectives makes our city a stronger, safer place; Chief Tracy may not be from our city, but I urge St. Louisans to welcome him with an open mind, making our city safer requires all of us working together.”
St. Louis Police Foundation Chairman Doug Albrecht released the following statement:
"As an organization committed to providing monetary support, services and goods to the St. Metropolitan and St. Louis County Police Departments, the St. Louis Police Foundation did not want compensation to be a barrier in attracting the best qualified candidates for City police chief. We contributed to the compensation package but did not have any role in the recruitment process nor in deciding the next chief. Our goal was simply to help the City find a police chief who will effectively serve and protect residents, while providing strong leadership for the department."
The Police Foundation said it would like Tracy to at minimum have at least one annual meeting with each of the city's 14 wards and quarterly town hall meeting with St. Louis officers to discuss the state of the police department.
Here is Tracy's biography provided by Mayor Jones' office:
Experience: Served as Chief of Police for the City of Wilmington, Delaware since April 14, 2017.
More than 30 years in law enforcement, including time served with the New York and Chicago police departments.
While with the NYPD, Tracy served as commander of a Firearms Suppression Division for NYPD, commander of the Firearms Investigation Unit, worked with Organized Crime Investigation Division and ATF/NYPD Joint Firearms Task Force, led the Violent Felony Squad, the NYPD/U.S. Marshal Regional Task Force, and supervised the Bronx/Manhattan Warrant Squads.
In Chicago, Tracy was the principal Crime Control Strategist.
In Wilmington, Tracy created the CompStat process and developed the department’s methods for Intelligence-Based Policing, implemented Group Violence Intervention in conjunction with the National Network of Safe Communities and John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City.
Education: Masters in Public Administration from Marist College and a Bachelor of Arts in History from SUNY, Empire State College
Memberships/honors: ATF National Crime Gun Intelligence Governing Board; the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF); the International Association of Chiefs of Police/Private Sector Liaison Section; the Delaware Police Chiefs’ Association; and the Delaware Governor’s Juvenile Justice Advisory Group
Age: 58
Family: Born in the Bronx, New York City, NY, married with five children.
Lives in Wilmington, Delaware.
Other info from bio: None provided.
Watch the full press conference here: