St. Paul's new police chief to be sworn in Tuesday

Assistant Police Chief Tom Smith
Assistant St. Paul Police Chief Tom Smith has been named the new police chief by Mayor Chris Coleman.
Photo Courtesy St. Paul Police

St. Paul's new police chief will be sworn in Tuesday.

Tom Smith will be the city's 40th police chief. He's an assistant chief and a veteran of the department for more than 20 years.

Smith is the first head of the department to come through the ranks during what's known as the "community policing" era of the 1990s. He grew up in the city's West Side neighborhood and says he will lead the police force with an emphasis on service.

Mayor Chris Coleman says he chose Smith because of his breadth of experience. Smith topped a list of four finalists, all of them from inside the department.

He will replace outgoing chief John Harrington, who is running for a state legislative seat that will be vacated by Senator Mee Moua.