President of St. Louis Board of Police Commissioners To Step Down

Chris Goodson, president of the St. Louis Board of Police Commissioners, announced today that he will step down from his post at the end of February.

Goodson was appointed to the board by former Gov. Matt Blunt in February 2005. He has been serving on an expired term since January 31. In a statement Goodson said he was stepping down to ensure that decisions on "important issues" such as department's current budget proposal are made by board members serving active terms.

Goodson was president of the police commission last July when former police chief, Joe Mokwa, retired following a Post-Dispatch investigation into the department's association with a private towing company. In response to the paper's probe, Goodson and the police commission hired law firm Armstrong Teasdale to conduct their own investigation.

Goodson initially stated that the law firm found no wrongdoing and the investigation was closed. A week later, Goodson and the police board accepted Mokwa's resignation and paid him a $100,000 severance. 

Goodson day job is working as a real-estate developer. He owns the development firm Gilded Age and the real-estate management company Goodco.