Once a Cadet, Now a Commander

A St. Louis County Police Department officer who once patrolled the neighborhood around Mehlville High School will soon be serving as a watch commander in the Affton area.

Sgt. Gary Guinn was officially promoted by St. Louis County Police Chief Tom Fitch to the rank of Lieutenant March 30. The promotion marks the continuation of Guinn's 36-year career in law enforcement, including 21 years with the St. Louis City Police Department. 

A long-time investigator with the department, Guinn will be taking on a supervisory role as a watch commander in the department's Affton Southwest precinct. His duties will include overseeing a platoon of officers during the course of an 8-hour shift. Guinn was promoted to sergeant in 2002 and his most recent position was helping lead investigators in the department's domestic violence unit.

"It has probably taken me a long time (to get promoted) because I enjoyed the job so much that the goal of being promoted took a backburner," Guinn said jokingly.

Guinn is a St. Louis native who has spent his 36-year career in law enforcement in the area. In that time, he has handled a variety of jobs and positions, including working as a uniformed patrolmen and as a detective in several criminal investigation units.

This wealth of experience will be an asset in Guinn's new post as a watch commander, according to Lt. Colonel Terry Roberds, commanding officer of the St. Louis County Police Division of Criminal Investigation. Roberds is Guinn's supervisor and has known him for the 15 years he has been with the agency.

"As a watch commander, part of your function is to make sure the people who work for you are doing what they are supposed to be doing," Roberds said. "You take a guy of his experience level...he brings a lot to the table."

Roberds said this is particularly important for the many younger officers in the department who need guidance on what it means to be a police officer. Guinn himself started his career at a very early age. He grew up in the Soulard neighborhood of St. Louis and joined the police cadet program right after graduating high school. A family friend who was a police officer recommended that Guinn apply for the program and he readily agreed.

The program served as a kind of paid internship until he was old enough to enter the police academy, Guinn said, allowing him to perform different duties and assignments within the department. It also further stoked his passion for law enforcement.

"When I was young, I was enthralled with the excitement of police work and the excitement of patrolling and dealing with problems," Guinn said. "It was an exciting and rewarding type of work."

He explained this lead him to work in the department's child abuse unit. Although he acknowledged he has dealt with some disturbing things, Guinn said it offered him the chance to make a big impact.

"There's nothing more rewarding than to help a child that is really being harmed," he said, explaining that sometimes officers are the only ones who can help put that child in a safe environment. "You'll be rewarded by the fact that you know you saved that child."

Still, the details of sex abuse investigations can exact a mental toll on any officer. Guinn said it is important to take the time outside of work to relieve the weight such cases can carry.

"I have a very supportive wife, I love to fish," Guinn said. "You need that outlet. Otherwise, it would disturb you so much."