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30-year veteran of St. Louis department named police chief
By JIM SALTER
Associated Press
ST. LOUIS (AP) — The new
police chief in St. Louis is
a 30-year veteran of the
department described
by community activists as
a “fair and decent” man
who will reach out to resi-
dents, including those with
a strong distrust of police.
Mayor Lyda Krewson on
Thursday announced the
hiring of John Hayden, who
most recently has been a
major in charge of the pa-
trol division on the crime-
riddled north side of St.
Louis.
Krewson said the city was
seeking someone with a
stellar reputation, a proven
track record and a reputa-
tion for being fair and inclu-
sive.
“That describes John
Hayden and I am thrilled
to have him as the chief of
police,” Krewson said.
Hayden, 55, fought back
emotions, at one point
pausing to exhale, as he
spoke at a news confer-
ence and pledged to im-
prove relations with resi-
dents and work with activ-
ists. But he said his first pri- a black suspect, 24-year-
ority will be addressing the
violent crime plaguing St.
Louis.
The city has recorded more
Mobster acquitted in ‘Goodfellas’ heist gets prison in arson
By LARRY NEUMEISTER
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — A leg-
endary airport robbery
recounted in the movie
“Goodfellas” came back
to haunt an 82-year-old
mobster on Thursday, when
a judge cited evidence of
his role in it while sentencing
him to eight years in prison
for an unrelated road rage
arson.
Vincent Asaro, balding and
bespectacled, reacted to
the sentence with disgust.
than 200 homicides this
year, the most since 1995.
Only about one-third of
the homicides have been
solved, largely because
witnesses and victims of
gun crimes are hesitant to
come forward, often out of
fear of retribution.
“I spent the past 30 years
of my life on this police de-
partment,” Hayden said. “I
believe my love for this city,
my experience, my work
ethic and my pursuit of ex-
cellence will serve me well
in my new role as chief of
police.”
Hayden, who is black,
was chosen from a field of
more than 40 original ap-
plicants that had narrowed
this month to six finalists, in- the protests has been on- lent demonstrations or us- ing model that gets input
cluding interim Chief Law-
rence O’Toole, who led the
1,300-officer department
after Sam Dotson abruptly
retired on the same April
day that Krewson took over
as mayor.
O’Toole drew the scorn of
activists after white former
officer Jason Stockley was
acquitted of first-degree
murder in September in
the 2011 shooting death of
old Anthony Lamar Smith.
More than 300 people
have been arrested at
protests amid claims that
“I don’t care what hap-
pens to me at this point,”
he grumbled.
He looked at U.S. District
Judge Allyne R. Ross, say-
ing: “What you sentenced
me to is a death sentence
anyway.”
The sentence was more
than double what federal
guidelines set out as pun-
ishment for the 2012 car
torching, which prosecu-
tors said resulted when Asa-
ro directed Bonanno crime
family associates to track
Friday 29 December 2017
John Hayden, speaks at a news conference, Thursday, Dec. 28, 2017, at City Hall in St. Louis, after
being announced by Mayor Lyda Krewson as the new chief of the St. Louis Police Department. At
right is Director of Public Safety Jimmie Edwards.
(Laurie Skrivan/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)
officers under the watch In November, a federal Democratic state Rep.
of O’Toole, who is white, court responding to a law- Bruce Franks Jr., a protest
abused and taunted some suit filed by the American leader, praised the new
who were taken into cus- Civil Liberties Union of Mis- chief as a strong communi-
tody. souri issued an injunction cator. Franks, who is black,
An internal investigation of prohibiting St. Louis police believes Hayden will work
how police have handled from shutting down nonvio- toward a community polic-
going since September, ing chemical agents simply from people in neighbor-
and the U.S. Department to punish protesters. hoods where police are of-
of Justice also is investigat- Activists said they were ten unwelcome.
ing. Protests have ended pleased that O’Toole was “You need that community
in recent weeks but activ- passed over for the top job, buy-in and the community
ists have pledged periodic and they were optimistic has to trust the police de-
demonstrations indefinitely. about Hayden. partment,” Franks said. q
down and set afire the car She said she was mindful burn the car in front of the
of a motorist he believed of Asaro’s 2015 acquittal motorist’s home, said the
had cut him off. in the infamous 1978 heist head of New York’s FBI of-
Asaro, speaking before the at the Lufthansa cargo ter- fice, William F. Sweeney Jr.
announcement of the sen- minal at John F. Kennedy “The anger that propelled
tence, said he was “terribly International Airport, a rob- Asaro to action is reminis-
sorry.” bery retold in the 1990 hit cent of so many scripted
“I was on my way home,” film “Goodfellas,” starring Hollywood dramas, but un-
he said. “It happened. It Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta like the fame and fortune
just got out of hand.” and Joe Pesci. of the big screen, Asaro’s
The judge said she had “no Asaro contacted an asso- story ends on a different
illusion” that prison will result ciate with access to a lo- note,” Sweeney said in a
in Asaro’s rehabilitation or cal law enforcement data- release. “Today’s sentence
bring an end to his “lifelong base, identified the license proves that living life in the
career as a member of the plate information of the fast lane is sure to be short
Mafia.” car and triggered a plan to lived.”q