Sergeant John Manestar earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Administration of Justice in 1988 from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. He began his career with the St. Louis County Police Department on January 3, 1989 as a recruit at the St. Louis County and Municipal Police Academy Recruit Class 115. Sergeant Manestar graduated from the CMPA and was assigned to the North County Precinct as a Patrol Officer in April 1989. While assigned to the North County Precinct, Sergeant Manestar was assigned to the City of Black Jack detail from 1992 until 1997.
In 1997 Sergeant Manestar was transferred to the Affton-Southwest Precinct where he was assigned to the Village of Marlborough detail until 2002. In August 2002, Sergeant Manestar was transferred to the Bureau of Crimes against Persons as a detective in the Family Crime Unit where he investigated crimes involving domestic violence and child abuse.
After spending two years in the Family Crime Unit, Sergeant Manestar was transferred to the South County Precinct where he served as the Business Resource Officer patrolling the South County Mall corridor and also the Precinct Detective. In March 2007, Sergeant Manestar was transferred to the Bureau of Operational Support where he served as both a background investigator in the Bureau of Professional Standards and a detective in the Sex Offender Registration and Enforcement Unit. During his time in the Bureau of Professional Standards, Sergeant Manestar was responsible for conducting numerous background investigations on commissioned and non-commissioned members of the St. Louis County Police Department. While assigned to the SOREU, Sergeant Manestar and his partner achieved 100% compliance for the over 1000-registered sex offenders that reside within St. Louis County. In addition, numerous criminal charges for criminal non-compliance were issued at both the State and Federal level against non-compliant registered sex offenders.
Sergeant Manestar was promoted to the rank of Sergeant November 2010 and assigned to the South County Precinct as a Patrol Supervisor.
Sergeant Manestar has received three Chief's Commendations, 7 Awards of Excellence, and 30 letters of appreciation. Sergeant Manestar also has served on the Missouri Sex Offender Registry Task Force, which works in conjunction with the Missouri State Highway Patrol regarding legislative changes to Missouri's sex offender statutes, and he also assisted the United States Marshals Service in the apprehension of non-compliant sex offenders.
Sergeant Manestar lives in the South County area with his wife and three children. He is an avid Rams and Cardinals fan and enjoys spending his free time with his family.