St. Paul police officers Shannon Diedrich and Randy Axtell take time to chat outside the Finnish Bistro in mid-October. Photo by Kristal Leebrick
If you see these two St. Paul Police Department patrol officers strolling through an alley near you, don’t panic. It’s just part of their job on their new beat as community police officers in the Como Park and St. Anthony Park neighborhoods.
Meet officers Randy Axtell and Shannon Diedrich, who will be working 4 p.m.-2 a.m. shifts in the area and a lot of it on foot.
“The idea behind us on foot patrol is to help us get to know the business owners and the people,” Axtell said. It’s about “building relationships.”
This new community police beat is part of St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell’s plans to expand community outreach in the department. Randy Axtell (yes, he is related to the chief; Todd Axtell is his father) and Diedrich have been visiting area schools and businesses since they came on in late September.
They want residents to know that “we are very approachable,” Axtell said. “Just say hi. We don’t bite.”
And if there’s any law enforcement question you need answered, they will do their best to answer it, Diedrich said.
If you don’t see them on the street, they are easy to connect with through their emails: randall.axtell@ci.stpaul.mn.us and Shannon.diedrich@ci.stpaul.mn.us.
