BILLINGS — Billings’ longtime Police Chief Rich St. John wraps up 45 years in law enforcement when he officially retires on Sept. 30.
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St. John joined the Billings Police Department in 1981. He’s led the state’s largest police department through 20 years of change and growth after being promoted to chief in 2006.
“When I was promoted, I was the fourth chief in a year and a half, so there were some tumultuous times,” he recalls.
St. John grew up in Washington with thoughts of following in the footsteps of his father, who worked for the FBI under J. Edgar Hoover.
But it was football that brought him to Billings. He played linebacker for Rocky Mountain College and took an internship with the Billings Police Department while in college. It’s also where he met his wife.
“Got a great education, made some lifelong friends and call it home,” he says.
St. John managed to balance police work with his love for football, spending 35 years as an assistant coach at Billings Skyview High under Ron Lebsock. A few of the players that he coached later joined the department.
“The one thing I will take credit for is surrounding myself with some really good people. We were able to really turn this into an A-1 professional organization that other outfits in the state really want to emulate,” he says.
During his tenure, the department expanded with more officers, updated technology, improved training, and greater resources — changes St. John says were helped by the passage of two public safety levies.
“Our training increased tenfold. You will find no better department that is trained on a wide variety of things. We are into a lot of stuff,” St. John says.
He’s also seen a lot of stuff during his long career in law enforcement, including some tough days.
“In my time, we have seen some serious injuries through accidents and assaults on officers. We’ve lost a couple to suicide. And those are things that, having your name on the door, you really struggle with,” he says.
St. John says there’s now a stronger emphasis on officer wellness and other pro-active policing.
But as Billings has grown, so have the challenges facing law enforcement.
“We are running into extremely violent people, extremely heavily armed people, and most of the time they are on some sort of substance,” St. John says.
Challenges this chief will soon leave behind, but St. John says he’s confident the department is positioned to keep moving forward and is in good hands. Shawn Mayo, the agency's assistant chief, was named interim chief and will take over Oct. 1.
“I’m very proud of the leadership model that we have. You have to have people that are in charge and accountable, and you have great ones here,” he says.
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