After 22 years with the Clayton Police Department, Chief Mark Smith says the people who live, work and visit Clayton still make it an exciting place to spend time.
"Clayton is a vibrant city. The walkability of Clayton and the opportunities to interact with people of diverse backgrounds are appealing to me. It also doesn’t hurt that it’s easy to find plenty of great food and coffee here," says the St. Louis native who graduated from St. Mary’s High School and then Lindenwood University.
Citizen surveys this year show increased satisfaction in police visibility and engagement with the Clayton community, he says. "But we don’t want to get complacent with those great numbers. We'll continue to look for ways to build trust with our community."
Chief Smith was appointed CPD chief during April 2020, after being interim chief since May of 2019. Previously, he held the positions of police officer, detective, sergeant and lieutenant.
Although he started college as an accounting major, he said he soon realized number crunching wasn’t his calling. "Based on a friend’s recommendation, I started looking into law enforcement. I did an internship with the O’Fallon (Missouri) Police Department while I was in college and it solidified my decision to pursue a career as a police officer and get a bachelor's degree in criminal justice," he explains. "There's a great deal of satisfaction derived from helping people solve problems. The teamwork involved in policing is another aspect I enjoy. In many ways, it reminds me of playing on a sports team."
Indeed, Chief Smith played football while attending Lindenwood and competed in the 2004 Guns ‘N Hoses St. Louis boxing event to support The BackStoppers.
Three years later, he completed a master’s degree in Criminal Justice Administration. He's a former member of the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis and FBI National Academy graduate, session 260 in 2015.
To motivate and inspire his crew and himself, the chief says showing support for the staff when they do the right things and acknowledging excellent work are essential. "We recently implemented a new performance management software that allows us to be more efficient at recognizing good work. The software also has a feature for officers to recognize their co-workers for outstanding teamwork," he adds.
He says citizen surveys and feedback also keep CPD staffers motivated. "The surveys show our work is seen by the public and they approve. We showed the citizen surveys to the entire department in a special presentation to reinforce the great support they're receiving from our community."
Communication is essential for a motivated workforce, he adds. "Our management team -- captains, lieutenants and sergeants -- all do a great job of making time to visit the work groups and keep them informed of department news. We also have several committees that give the officers the opportunity to provide input on training, policies and quality of life issues."
While Chief Smith is personally grateful this Thanksgiving for the health and safety of his wife, Kari, two daughters, Lilly, 14, and Abigail, 11, and 5-year-old son, Luke, he says as Clayton's police chief, he's also thankful for the dedicated officers and support staff who continue to show up to work every day to keep the community safe.
“The last two years have been challenging for law enforcement, but our employees have been incredibly resilient. I’ve made a lot of friends in the community during my career. I’m incredibly thankful for their help and advice when called upon,” he assures.