St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry: ‘Our city is safer with more people in it’
SPPD Chief Axel Henry: 'Our city is safer when more people are in it'
St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry joined FOX 9's All Day on Wednesday to discuss several topics with Rob Olson. Henry talked about Somali gang violence, how they use drones, their non-fatal investigative shooting unit and traffic stops 10 years after Philando Castile's shooting death.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry joined FOX 9’s All Day on Wednesday with Rob Olson to discuss a number of topics.
Among them were addressing Somali gang violence, how they use drones, their non-fatal shooting investigative unit and how they’ve changed their approach to traffic stops in the 10 years since Philando Castile was fatally shot in Falcon Heights. Axel’s main message in the almost 19-minute interview: "Our city is safer with more people in it."
Gang violence changing course
What we know:
Henry was asked about comments made by Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher connected to Somali gang violence in the community.
Over the July 4 weekend, several shootings and a homicide were linked to Somali gangs. Fletcher said the first step is calling out the problem and working to get a handle on it.
Fletcher says the recent effort is not about targeting the Somali community, but about helping save young Somali boys who are choosing a gang life that is becoming increasingly dangerous. Henry expanded on that.
"Right now we’re seeing a migration of groups and gangs that are going around to different areas, many of them aren’t even from the communities the violence is taking place in, I think that’s some of what Sheriff Fletcher was referring to," Henry said. "We’re seeing this all over the country. The gangs we’re seeing now aren’t really fighting over the traditional Hollywood things like territory and drug real estate, it’s over pride and ego."
St. Paul police’s drone program
How it works:
As the Minneapolis Police Department explores the use of drones as first responders, it is something the St. Paul Police Department is already doing. Henry says the department has three drones, and officers get trained as pilots. They also have a spotter.
Drones are in a squad car, and can launch when an officer arrives on a scene. They’re helpful for missing children, water emergencies and searching for armed suspects.
"What we’ve seen is we have way more flights. It’s amazing, technology is out there, and we have to turn to it," Henry said.
He added that drones are not meant for surveillance, to infringe on personal security. Their drones don’t have facial recognition, and video and flight logs are public information.
"We’re not surveilling people with it, it’s a technological advance," Henry said.
St. Paul’s non-fatal shooting unit
The backstory:
Henry says the department’s non-fatal shooting investigative unit has helped them investigate crime more efficiently in the city. He says they’re treated as failed homicides, and investigated the same as a murder.
Henry says the department averages between a 92% and 100% homicide solvability rate, and it’s been 100% for the last 30 months.
"Obviously, we’d like those to be zero when it comes to murders. But if you commit a murder in our city, we’re going to find you and hold you accountable," Henry said.
When Henry first took over as police chief at the end of 2022, the city had 193 people wounded with non-fatal gunshot wounds. Last year, that number dropped to 73.
"You’re talking about 120 never happens, those are the real wins. That’s 120 people that weren’t shot," Henry said.
Traffic stops since Philando Castile’s death
Why you should care:
Philando Castile was fatally shot by police in Falcon Heights during a traffic stop in 2016. It led to protests, and calls for police reform. While it didn’t happen in St. Paul, Henry says the incident prompted his department to think differently about how it conducts traffic stops.
They focus more now on moving violations than equipment violations.
"Equipment is different than choices you make about how you drive. The biggest takeaway from this is that maybe a 1-month-old tab is not a big deal or a cracked windshield is not a big deal, it’s the fact that a community can come together and say let’s try this and let’s do it," Henry said. "The detractors would say those are great tools to find other things like drug violations and weapons violations. That isn’t wrong, but we have not seen that reduced in any way. Our gun recovery numbers have gone up, and our community has gotten better. Tried it for a year and we didn’t see any of the negative things people thought were going to happen."
Henry says St. Paul is a safe city, and he wants people to spend the summer there doing outdoor events and activities.