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A well-respected veteran of Missouri law enforcement is returning back to service at time when his state desperately needs leadership.

Gov. Jay Nixon announced yesterday, August 27 that former St. Louis police chief Daniel Isom II would become the new Department of Public Safety.

Reports CBS St. Louis:

Dr. Isom currently serves as the E. Desmond Lee Professor of Policing and the Community for the nationally recognized Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, a position he took after retiring as chief of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department in January 2013.

“Dr. Isom has experience and training in law enforcement that are almost unmatched, including as a top-level manager and as a front-line officer in one of the state’s largest police forces,” Gov. Nixon said. “We are fortunate that he will be using those skills on behalf of the department that works to protect the safety of Missourians.”

“Protecting the public is one of the most fundamental obligations of government, and I am honored to lead the Missouri Department of Public Safety at this critical time,” Dr. Isom said. “I thank Governor Nixon for this tremendous opportunity, and I look forward to building on the good work Director Lee and others have done to achieve a future of greater safety, security and trust for all Missourians.”

The move is an obvious response to the turmoil in Ferguson and will become effective on September 1. Isom will replace Jerry Lee who previously held the position for the past three years.

Photo: St. Louis Police Department