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O'FALLON, MO (KTVI-FOX2now.com) -
It happened again in O'Fallon, Missouri, Tuesday night. For the fourth time in four years, the second largest city in the area, named a new police chief. The new O'Fallon chief was once a front-runner to become chief someplace else: the area's largest city: St. Louis. After nearly 40 years with the St. Louis Police Department, Roy Joachimstaler, finally became a chief.
He seemed determined to end O'Fallon's "revolving door" of chiefs. Upon hearing the 7-1 vote approving his appointment, Joachimstaler thanked the city council, then begged their pardon as he turned his back on them to speak directly to the residents attending the special council meeting.
"I'm very confident that Roy will be here for the next 8-10 years," Mayor Bill Hennessy said.
Joachimstaler worked his way up through the ranks of the SLPD; working big cases, becoming chief of detectives, heading the Bureau of Community Police, reaching the rank of lieutenant colonel. Department insiders looked upon him as the right man for the SLPD Chief's job, in the wake of the police towing scandal, which forced former chief, Joe Mokwa, to retire last year. Joachimstaler was passed over in favor of Chief Dan Isom last fall. He retired in January. He said it was matter of economics, not sour grapes.
"It wasn't anything because Dan Isom became chief," Joachimstaler said. "It was just that guys like me from the early 70's were getting murdered on their pensions. We were losing so much money."
Though council members had expressed reservations about the scandals surrounding SLPD at the time of Joachimstaler's departure, he was never implicated in any wrongdoing. Council members said he answered every question they had.
"After 60 plus applicants that we had nationwide, Roy was the best man for the job," Hennessy said.
"Besides the major incidents that you talk about [in St. Louis], there's a lot of things that go on with the community in policing that i think i can [address]," Joachimstaler said. " That was my background for all those years, community based policing, problem-solving policing."
The city council also appointed a new city administrator: Keith Riesberg, who's been working in the same capacity in Sedalia. Riesberg will succeed former city administrator, Robert Lowery, Jr., after Lowery's brief, controversial tenure.
"My personal viewpoint is the only way we will accomplish anything is to take a collective approach to it, that's we're able to accomplish more by forming partnerships and working as a team to move things forward," Riesberg said.
Riesberg starts in January. Joachimstaler starts in December.
Joachimstaler said he found about the job from an internet ad and applied like everyone else.
He seemed determined to end O'Fallon's "revolving door" of chiefs. Upon hearing the 7-1 vote approving his appointment, Joachimstaler thanked the city council, then begged their pardon as he turned his back on them to speak directly to the residents attending the special council meeting.
"I'm very confident that Roy will be here for the next 8-10 years," Mayor Bill Hennessy said.
Joachimstaler worked his way up through the ranks of the SLPD; working big cases, becoming chief of detectives, heading the Bureau of Community Police, reaching the rank of lieutenant colonel. Department insiders looked upon him as the right man for the SLPD Chief's job, in the wake of the police towing scandal, which forced former chief, Joe Mokwa, to retire last year. Joachimstaler was passed over in favor of Chief Dan Isom last fall. He retired in January. He said it was matter of economics, not sour grapes.
"It wasn't anything because Dan Isom became chief," Joachimstaler said. "It was just that guys like me from the early 70's were getting murdered on their pensions. We were losing so much money."
Though council members had expressed reservations about the scandals surrounding SLPD at the time of Joachimstaler's departure, he was never implicated in any wrongdoing. Council members said he answered every question they had.
"After 60 plus applicants that we had nationwide, Roy was the best man for the job," Hennessy said.
"Besides the major incidents that you talk about [in St. Louis], there's a lot of things that go on with the community in policing that i think i can [address]," Joachimstaler said. " That was my background for all those years, community based policing, problem-solving policing."
The city council also appointed a new city administrator: Keith Riesberg, who's been working in the same capacity in Sedalia. Riesberg will succeed former city administrator, Robert Lowery, Jr., after Lowery's brief, controversial tenure.
"My personal viewpoint is the only way we will accomplish anything is to take a collective approach to it, that's we're able to accomplish more by forming partnerships and working as a team to move things forward," Riesberg said.
Riesberg starts in January. Joachimstaler starts in December.
Joachimstaler said he found about the job from an internet ad and applied like everyone else.
