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ST. LOUIS — The city’s new police chief took over the department on Monday, capping off two nationwide searches that spanned more than a year.

Robert Tracy, former police chief in Wilmington, Delaware, earned national recognition for reducing gun violence but was also criticized by city council members in Wilmington for racial tensions and a lack of diversity in the department.

“It is a true honor to be appointed to this position, and I am eager for the days, weeks, and months ahead as we embark upon the next chapter of this organization and its service to St. Louis,� Tracy wrote in a letter to department staff Monday. “The time I have spent in St. Louis already has shown me just how much this city has to offer and just how invested members of the community are in its success.�

Tracy was hired from a pool of 42 applicants and will take over a department that has a large number of officer vacancies and a homicide rate that is among the highest in the country.

He will make $275,000 a year, far more than former chiefs here and chiefs in similarly sized cities. The St. Louis Police Foundation is contributing $100,000 to that annual compensation package. The city’s last police chief, John Hayden, made $153,000.

The chief was not made publicly available and was sworn in at a private ceremony on Monday afternoon, said Nick Desideri, a city spokesman.

“Chief Tracy will be a valuable partner as we work to reimagine public safety in St. Louis — while holding those who do commit crime accountable for their actions,� “I firmly believe St. Louis can learn from our peers. While he may not be from our city, Chief Tracy brings decades of experience to this role. I know he will love St. Louis, be involved in the community, and work hard to make our city safer for all — no matter your zip code.�

Desideri noted in an email that the Wilmington Police Department last week released a year-end crime report that stated the city in 2022 experienced the lowest number of homicides in 15 years and the second-lowest number of shootings in 17 years.

Wilmington has a population of just under 70,000, compared with St. Louis which has almost 300,000 residents.

The new chief has met with leaders of the three police officers’ associations, said Sgt. Donnell Walters, president of the Ethical Society of Police, which advocates for racial equality in policing.

“We believe in affording him the opportunity to implement his plans and changes for the department,� Walters said

Jones last month described Tracy as detail-oriented, organized, data-driven and dedicated to building community trust.

Tracy, 58, was born in the Bronx and is married with five children. He has worked in law enforcement for almost 40 years, including a stint as Chicago’s crime control strategist. He became chief in Wilmington in 2017 amid a surge in gun violence. Two years later, he was recognized at former President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address for a drop in shootings there: 60% fewer people were shot in 2018 compared with the previous year, which hit a historic high of 194 shooting victims.

Tracy was announced as the new chief last month at a briefing where his remarks focused on crime reduction and building community trust. He said he would take the next few weeks to get to know everyone who wants to be a part of the solution and familiarize himself with members of the department.

Tracy said he worked in Chicago and Wilmington to build trust between the community and the police department, as well as between police officers and the department.

“We will work together to roll out a number of new strategies and initiatives and will call upon each of you to take a leadership role — regardless of rank or assignment — as we work together to address the plague of violent crime that has affected St. Louis and so many cities like ours,� Tracy wrote. “And while there is hard work ahead of us, I am confident you will find fulfillment and reward as we achieve our objectives and make St. Louis safer for everyone in our city.�

The search

Former police Chief John Hayden announced his retirement in early September 2021. He was set to retire Feb. 23 but agreed to stay on longer when conflict between the city’s personnel department and the mayor’s office delayed the national search for his replacement.

Hayden retired in mid-June, and Lt. Col. Michael Sack took over as interim police chief.

The conflict began in the city’s first search last year when the personnel department was tasked with narrowing the pool of candidates to six finalists. Jones’ public safety director, Dan Isom, was then slated to pick from those six.

In November, former personnel director Richard Frank sent rejection letters to most of about 30 applicants for the job and gave a written test to Sack and Lt. Col. Lawrence O’Toole. Both are white men with long careers in the department.

In January, Jones told the Post-Dispatch she was dissatisfied with having just two internal finalists for the job and scratched the city’s first search. She had previously emphasized the need for diversity in the candidate pool.

This summer, the city hired executive search firm The Boulware Group to help with the second national search for a chief. The Regional Business Council agreed to pay Boulware up to $60,000, the city said. The Center for Policing Equity, a police organization dedicated to police reform, was also an unpaid partner in the search.

Tracy was one of four finalists for the job. The other candidates were Larry Boone, a former police chief in Norfolk, Virginia; Melron Kelly, a deputy chief from Columbia, South Carolina; and Sack.