ST PAUL, Minn. — People who drove past the St. Paul Police Department's divisional station on Hamline Avenue Friday may have noticed something had changed. The stainless-steel lettering across the front of the structure now reads, "William K. Finney Western District."
And Finney is still alive to enjoy the honor the City of St. Paul has bestowed on its former police chief, something that doesn't happen very often when it comes to naming and renaming buildings in America.
"You honored me and my family. You named a building after me and I'm not dead!" Finney told the crowd that gathered for the dedication ceremony Friday, eliciting a wave of laughter.
"So, thank you! Thank you very much!"
Chief Todd Axtell said the idea of renaming the building came from City Council Member Dai Thao and Tyrone Terrell, who heads the African American Leadership Council in St. Paul.
"I remember looking up to this man when I came to the academy in 1989. He was a larger-than-life figure in my life and continues to be a larger-than-life figure in my life today," current St. Paul Chief Todd Axtell told the audience.
He said Finney deserves a lot of credit for his efforts to connect the police force to the communities they serve.
"He's the one who taught me we are not THE police department. We are YOUR police department."
Mayor Melvin Carter III said he was quite aware of Finney as he grew up because his dad, Melvin Carter Jr., was a St. Paul police sergeant. He said Finney as chief made it clear that it shouldn't have to decide between police and community because police are part of the community.
"We have someone who's dedication to our department, whose dedication to our community is unmatched and beyond question."
Mayor Carter said he still calls Finney "Chief" today and not "William" or "Bill" or the nickname. That nickname is "Corky" by the way, but the mayor said he wasn't going to use it at Friday's celebration.
"People called him his nickname and his first name and things like that, but I’m afraid that if I tried that my grandmother would reach out from the grave and smack me on the back of the head!"
Finney grew up in the Rondo neighborhood, graduated from Central High School and Minnesota State-Mankato. He joined the SPPD in 1971, and rose through the ranks until 1992 when he became chief. He retired in 2004 after 12 years at the top post.
"To become a police officer in the town you grew up in meant something to," Finney told the audience. "To be able to serve and protect the people you know. Saint Paul's a big, small town. You all know that."
Finney ran for Ramsey County Sheriff in 2006 but couldn't unseat incumbent Sheriff Bob Fletcher. And, as fate would have it, in 2019 Fletcher hired Finney to serve as a Ramsey County Undersheriff of Community Relations. Among the roles Finney is playing is expanding diversity within the RCSO.
The SPPD's main headquarters on Olive Street is named for another African American trailblazer, James S. Griffin. He joined the department in 1941 and became that city's first Black police sergeant in 1955, its first Black captain in 1970, and first Black deputy chief in 1972.
Griffin retired in 1983, and passed away in 2002. The SPPD central building was named for him in 2004. That year Griffin's widow Edna told interviewers that her husband often gave advice to the young Officer Bill Finney, and that Finney always listened intently to him.
Central High School's football stadium is also named for Griffin, who, like Finney, was a distinguished alumnus.
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