Former police chief Joseph St. John never met a stranger.
He was good with people and very community-minded, said Sheila Elder, who served as St. John’s administrative assistant for four years.
“He was … such a good-hearted man and willing to help anybody,” Elder told The Dispatch on Monday. “He had that type of personality, you know.”
St. John, 62, passed away Wednesday at his home following an extended illness. Born Oct. 11, 1961, St. John was appointed Columbus police chief in July 2007 and served until July 2011.
After leaving CPD, St. John pivoted to local reporting, starting a news blog called The Real Story that had a short run as a weekly print publication. He launched a series of businesses after that, most recently one focused on fitness training.
He also played guitar in a band he co-founded called Flashpoint.
Before coming to Columbus, St. John climbed the ranks from patrol officer to police captain at a department in Newport News, Virginia.
Elder said St. John’s focus as police chief was always helping people in the community, whether it was someone who worked for him or a complete stranger.
“He always wanted to have fundraisers and different things for people that were in need,” she said. “That was just his nature.”
Rhonda Sanders, who worked in community relations at CPD during St. John’s tenure, remembers the chief writing birthday cards for the police officers each year.
“He was the type of person that if something happened personally with you and your family, he was always available,” Sanders said. “His door was always open.”
St. John’s love for his department and community was far from one-sided. Robert Smith, who served as mayor when St. John was chief, said the officers who worked under St. John held him in high regard.
“His command staff and the guys who worked under his leadership, they had a lot of respect for him,” Smith said. “He believed in the team approach, as far as the guys working together as a team and as a family.”
Though St. John kept a structure to things, he also kept things fun, Smith said. He played guitar and could always draw out a laugh.
“He was very witty,” he said. “He’d keep you laughing all the time. As a chief and as an individual, he was a very likable person.”
Funeral arrangements for St. John had not yet been made as of press time Wednesday.
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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