St. Paul's new police chief sworn in today

New St. Paul police chief Todd Axtell was sworn into office on Thursday, vowing to diversify the department and take a critical look at use of force by his officers.

Axtell was plucked earlier this month to lead the 600-officer department after a months-long search. He started with the St. Paul force in 1989 and was most recently the assistant chief for operations.

Over his years in law enforcement, Axtell said, he's prompted thoughtful discussions on whether use of force was necessary — and if officers could have handled situations differently.

Axtell said the camaraderie that officers share, as "wonderful" as that can be, shouldn't trump accountability.

"We have to make sure the thin blue line doesn't mean that we are going to cover up our mistakes," he said in an interview with MPR News host Tom Weber.

Axtell said he'd also like to see a wider range of perspectives on the police-civilian review board that looks into complaints against officers. He said the number of residents on the panel should be increased, but that officers should continue to serve on the board.

An audit last year recommended removing two police union members from the board to create more autonomy.

Axtell's biggest priority is to build stronger relationships with the city's communities of color, especially those who don't trust the police because of negative experiences in the past, he said. He plans to build on the strong relationships forged between the community and his predecessor, Tom Smith.

"We certainly have a different style in St. Paul," Axtell said. "We want to be viewed as your police department, not the police department. Interacting with those groups, specifically the ones that have the most challenges for law enforcement, are the ones we should be most working with, and I intend to do that."