Meet Saint Paul’s New Director of Neighborhood Safety

A New Direction for an Old Friend

When Mayor Kaholy Her asked Toy Vixayvong to lead the Office of Neighborhood Safety earlier this year, he asked for a month to think it over. "I kept thinking, 'Am I the right fit?'" he recalls.

Toy's doubts were principled. ONS employees work one-on-one with the Saint Paul residents who are most at risk of violence-people who often don't trust law enforcement. Could a 25-year veteran of the Saint Paul Police Department, known all over town as "Officer Toy," lead the City department that works hard to keep people out of the criminal-justice system?

To find out, Toy spent that month talking to the people in Saint Paul who'd come to know and trust him over his quarter-century of service to the City.

"I went out and asked nonprofit organizations, teachers and principals, community leaders from all different groups," he says. "They told me, 'You'll be great, because you speak for the community.' This community is where my heart is, and the community knows who I am. That's what sold me."

In May, Toy officially became the third-ever director of ONS, replacing now Assistant Mayor Cedrick Baker. Four months into the job, he doesn't regret his decision.

"I've always been into helping the community," says Toy. "I can only do so much as a police officer. But in this job, I have a bigger opportunity to be a liaison between ONS, the police department, Saint Paul Public Schools, and the whole community. I can make a bigger difference here."

From Laos to Minnesota, Community First

Director Vixayvong's commitment to community started many years ago, when his family fled postwar Laos for Minnesota. "I came here when I was six," he remembers. "It was culture shock. Winter was very cold! We just had to adjust."

That they did. Toy's parents worked hard to support their local Lao community, in Austin and then in Richfield, helping newcomers find their footing and make a home. "I look up a lot to my parents," he says. "We had other families staying at our house, and they were always out there in the community."

That formative experience of community service as a way of life inspired Toy to become a police officer, specializing in community engagement and one-on-one outreach to young people. His pioneering work as a school resource officer, interrupting cycles of criminalization and giving Saint Paul young people a chance to thrive, made local and national headlines.

Throughout his career and still today, Toy earns trust in Saint Paul communities by showing up with humanity and compassion.

"People have stories," he says simply. "Kids act out for a reason; I want to figure out why. People who get arrested-there's always a story to explain how they got there. I believe in treating everyone as a decent human being. I have respect for them and I listen to their stories."

Strengthening Partnerships to Keep Saint Paul Safe

Toy's community-first, human-to-human approach is already making the Office of Neighborhood Safety stronger. He has strengthened the relationship between ONS and the Saint Paul Police Department's non-fatal shootings and community outreach units so the Project PEACE team can reach out to people affected by gun violence-or at risk of getting involved-more quickly and effectively.

His work is just getting started. "Building the relationship is the easy part," says Toy. "The real work is uplifting the work that ONS does to keep Saint Paul safe. People don't know much about what we do yet. That's what I intend to change."

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