St. Louis Mayor-elect Tishaura Jones announced Thursday that former St. Louis Police Chief Dan Isom will serve as interim director of the Department of Public Safety, replacing Jimmie Edwards, who resigned last month.
Jones is also appointing Heather Taylor, a former St. Louis police sergeant and president of the Ethical Society of Police, as a special adviser to the public safety director.
And she named her deputy chief of staff, Adam Layne, to succeed her as treasurer. As mayor, Jones has the power to fill a vacancy in that office, which is responsible for managing the city鈥檚 financial portfolio as well as parking operations.
Isom returns to city service
After serving as St. Louis鈥� police chief from 2008 to 2013, Isom took on roles as Missouri鈥檚 director of the Department of Public Safety and a member of the Ferguson Commission. He鈥檚 also spent extensive time as a professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
鈥淭his work won鈥檛 happen overnight,鈥� Jones said. 鈥淏ut I鈥檓 confident that under Director Isom鈥檚 and Sgt. Taylor鈥檚 guidance under my administration, we鈥檒l be able to put the public back in public safety.鈥�
Jones stressed that Isom鈥檚 selection is a temporary one, as the position is currently vacant, but he could be selected to fill the job permanently.
鈥淚 could not start this administration without a public safety director,鈥� Jones said. 鈥淲e will be conducting a national search. And if it鈥檚 so that they choose Dan and he stays, then that will be it.鈥�
Jones also said that some of the ways to specifically 鈥減ut the public back in public safety鈥� include 鈥渄eclaring gun violence as a public health crisis and working with our flagship hospitals and universities to do so.鈥�
鈥淐rime and violence don鈥檛 stop at our borders, and neither should our solutions,鈥� Jones said. 鈥淚 plan on bringing our neighbors to the west and the east to the table. And lastly, we need to look at how we staff our public safety department, staffing with differently abled professionals so police aren鈥檛 the only answer when you dial 9-1-1.鈥�
Layne sees city鈥檚 potential
鈥淥ur city is at a crossroads in more ways than one,鈥� Layne said. 鈥淐ouple the unique issues of St. Louis with the world trying to emerge from a pandemic, and I still see what I always see in St. Louis: potential.鈥�
Layne has a bachelor鈥檚 degree in finance from George Washington University and a master鈥檚 in secondary education from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. In addition to working in Jones鈥� office, Layne is a member of the St. Louis Board of Education. As part of Teach for America, he taught trigonometry and algebra at the Clyde C. Miller Career Academy.
鈥淚鈥檓 ready to work for St. Louis and, more importantly, I鈥檓 ready to work with St. Louis,鈥� he said.
Jones is slated to take the oath of office as mayor Tuesday.
Follow Jason on Twitter: @jrosenbaum
