All four candidates for the St. Paul police chief job will be advanced to Mayor Chris Coleman for selection.
The candidates -- Watch Commander Todd Axtell, Senior Commanders Colleen Luna and Bill Martinez, and Assistant Chief Tomas Smith -- have all worked several years in the department.
Each was interviewed Thursday for an hour by a committee of 21 city officials and community members who swiftly voted to send all four names to Coleman.
The candidates echoed many of the same goals in their separate interviews: more community policing, consolidating specialized units to eliminate redundancies, increased diversity in the department, police accountability and outreach to immigrant communities. They departed in outlining specific programming and personal accomplishments.
Axtell focused strongly on increasing the department's racial and gender diversity, and rehabilitation for nonviolent offenders. Luna championed police accountability and restorative justice, where officers implicated of wrongdoing meet in person with their accusers. Martinez spoke at length about reaching out to the growing immigrant populations. Smith was the only candidate to stress the need for (and his experience in) networking with state, federal and international authorities.
Coleman will interview the candidates this month, and host public forums April 26 and 27 where residents can ask pre-screened questions in a debate-like setting.
The mayor is expected to select his candidate by mid-May, and forward that person's name to the City Council for approval.
The candidates are undergoing background checks, and will also undergo an "executive evaluation" to asses his or her leadership skills, said Angie Nalezny, St. Paul's human resources director.
