Colonel Jerry Lee Chief of Police St. Louis County Police Department (314) 615-4260 [Biography of Chief Jerry Lee] [A Message from the Chief] [E-mail Chief Lee]

Lieutenant Gary Berra Commander Municipal Services Unit (314) 615-0184 [E-mail Lieutenant Berra]

Lieutenant Gary Berra was born in the city of St. Louis and is proud to have been raised in the rich tradition of the south city parochial school system. He currently resides with his family in West County, after spending a number of years as a South St. Louis County resident.

Lieutenant Berra is assigned to the Office of the Chief of Police and serves as the Commander of the Municipal Services Unit. This unit was developed in the early 1990's having the primary purpose to act as the liaison between the St. Louis County Police Department and all other law enforcement agencies in St. Louis County in order to improve the coordination and delivery of police services. Lieutenant Berra works with all municipal leaders and police officials interested in contracting for police services. These services include complete police protection packages, report writing software programs (CARE system), and a state of the art Communication Center for dispatching needs.

Lieutenant Berra is active in numerous cooperative efforts between St. Louis County and Municipal police departments. He acts as the initial "contact" person for other agencies and provides direction regarding getting tasks completed. Lieutenant Berra is also the Coordinator of the St. Louis County Police Department's staff of Major Case Squad members. He works closely with the squad, and assigns detectives to work unsolved cases and assist in region-wide investigations.

Lieutenant Berra attended the Greater St. Louis Police Academy and he received a bachelor's degree in business from Webster University. He spent a total of eight years as a Crimes Against Persons Detective, handling violent crime investigations. He was promoted to Sergeant in 1996, and worked his initial supervisory position in the Affton Southwest Precinct. He then served as a Detective Sergeant in the Division of Criminal Investigation for a number of years, being promoted to Lieutenant in 1999. Prior to his current assignment, Lieutenant Berra was a uniformed Watch Commander in the City of Wildwood and South County Precincts. Throughout his career, Lieutenant Berra has had the opportunity to work as a uniformed officer in all of the geographical precinct locations - North, South and West.

Lieutenant Berra has received the Department's Meritorious Service Citation, four Chief's Commendations, four Awards of Excellence, and numerous letters of appreciation from citizens. His calling to police work has been very rewarding, and he has dedicated his life to a career of Law Enforcement.

Lieutenant Berra is active in his parish, coaches his children in several sports, and is an outdoor and fitness enthusiast. He has also competed in several Missouri Police Olympic competitions representing his department.

P.O. Tracy Panus Media Relations Officer (314) 615-4282 [E-mail Officer Panus]

Officer Tracy Panus is assigned as the Media Relations Officer in the Municipal Services Unit. Officer Panus acts as a liaison with all print, radio, and television media sources. She coordinates and runs all Department press conferences and writes all official Department press releases. Officer Panus also serves as a member of the County Government's Communications Committee, the Department's Neighborhood Policing Committee and the Department's Special Olympics Committee. Officer Panus also serves as the Joint Information Coordinator for any incident where the Emergency Operations Center is activated.

Officer Panus began her career with St. Louis County Police Department in 2000. Her first assignment was in the West County Precinct as a patrol officer. In the fall of 2000, Officer Panus became a School Resource/D.A.R.E. Officer in the Valley Park School District where she remained for three years. She was then reassigned to the new Central County Precinct as a patrol officer and eventually a Neighborhood Policing Officer. In February, 2006, Officer Panus was appointed to her current Media Relations position.

Officer Panus grew up in Washington, Missouri, where she graduated from Washington High School in 1992. She then attended Southeast Missouri State University where she received a Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice. Officer Panus received her police training at the St. Louis County and Municipal Police Academy in 1996 and began employment as a police officer with the City of Ballwin.

Officer Panus currently resides in O'Fallon, Missouri, with her husband, also a St. Louis County Police Officer, and their daughter.

P.O. Rick Eckhard Municipal Services Officer (314) 615-0184 [E-mail Officer Eckhard]

Officer Eckhard is currently assigned as the Department's Municipal Services Officer. The Municipal Services Unit reports directly to the Office of the Chief of Police. His main responsibilities include acting as a liaison to other agencies involving contractual issues concerning the St. Louis County Police as well as being part of the Media Relations Staff. Officer Eckhard has worked with various task forces including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Secret Service, Drug Enforcement Agency and the White House.

A descendant of Irish and German immigrants, Officer Eckhard was raised in St. Louis City and attended St. Pius V. grade school and St. Mary's High School. After earning an Associate Degree in Criminal Justice from a local junior college, he transferred to Central Missouri State University. There he completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice Administration and a Master of Science degree in Occupational Safety Management. After graduation, in 1984, Officer Eckhard joined the St. Louis County Police Department.

Lieutenant Chuck Boschert Commander Intelligence Unit (314) 615-4692 [E-mail Lieutenant Boschert]

Lieutenant Chuck Boschert has served as commander of the Intelligence Unit since 1998, where he is primarily responsible for directing investigations relating to organized crime, public corruption and terrorism. In this position, he works closely with federal law enforcement agencies and supervises St. Louis County detectives assigned to various federal task forces, including the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, the FBI Metropolitan Fugitive Task Force, the FBI Public Corruption Task Force, the Internal Revenue Service Financial Task Force and the Social Security Administration Cooperative Disability Investigations Unit.

Lieutenant Boschert began his career with the St. Louis County Police Department in 1983 as a patrolman in the West County Precinct. In 1988 he was transferred to the St. Louis DEA Task Force where he remained until 1993, when he returned to the county's Bureau of Drug Enforcement. In 1995, he was promoted to sergeant and assigned to the North County Precinct. Later that year, he returned to the Bureau of Drug Enforcement as a supervisor, where he helped oversee that bureau's evolution into the St. Louis County Multi-jurisdictional Drug Task Force. In 1998, he was selected to run the department's Intelligence Unit. He was promoted to lieutenant shortly thereafter and remains in that position at this time.

Lieutenant Boschert is a graduate of Central Missouri State University where he received a Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice Administration and Corrections. In 2002, Lieutenant Boschert was elected to the Executive Board of Law Enforcement Intelligence Unit (LEIU), an international criminal intelligence network. He is a member of the U.S. Attorney's Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council and the Mid-Missouri Domestic Terrorism Working Group. Lieutenant Boschert was a participant in the International Association of Chiefs of Police 2002 Criminal Intelligence Sharing Summit and is a graduate of the U.S. Secret Service's National Threat Assessment Center. Additionally, Lieutenant Boschert is part of the command team of the St. Louis Terrorism Early Warning Group.

Lieutenant Boschert is a strong proponent of establishing professional standards governing the operations of criminal intelligence units and recognizes that there must be a balance between protecting our constitutional liberties and protecting our society against those involved in criminal activity.