Vinita Park Precinct

Vinita Park, Missouri

The City of Vinita Park—along with the Village of Vinita Terrace—gets its name from “Vinita Station”, an electric rail car station that was located at the intersection of Midland and Page. The Vinita Park subdivision was laid out in 1905 by A.C. Stewart and was later marketed by Everett Davis, of the Davis Realty Development Company. A map titled “Vinita Park — “The Next Reach”, by the Davis Realty Development Company, is dated 1909 and can be found in the Library of Congress. On November 3, 1941, Vinita Park was incorporated as a village, including the northern subdivisions of Spring Avenue Heights and part of Midland Heights, the Atherton (south of Page Boulevard), and the Vinita Industrial Park. On March 13, 1950, Vinita Park changed its status to a City of the 4th Class. Voters of both Vinita Park and neighboring Vinita Terrace voted on November 8, 2016, to consolidate into one municipality, to be called the City of Vinita Park.  The merger took effect on May 10, 2017

Chief of Police
John E. Buchannan

Chief John Buchannan was sworn in as Chief of Police of the North County Police Cooperative in September of 2018. Prior to becoming Chief of Police, Chief Buchannan graduated from Kirkwood High School in Kirkwood, Missouri. After graduating High School, Chief Buchannan worked as a turnkey at the Beverly Hills Police Department until he turned 21.  Chief Buchannan then attended and graduated from the Jefferson County Community College and the Police Academy in 1995. Upon his graduation, Chief Buchannan was appointed as a sworn officer with the City of Beverly Hills. During his 24 years with the Beverly Hills Police Department, Chief Buchannan rose through the ranks and eventually was appointed Chief of Police in 2013.

During his tenure at the Beverly Hills Police Department, Chief Buchannan was heavily involved with the Community. Chief Buchannan started a Police Explorer Post and a community basketball league where he was the mentor for many youths that participated in the programs. Chief Buchannan also spent 20 years in the Normandy School District working as a security officer\SRO within the district’s footprint. Chief Buchannan also started a neighborhood watch program in the City of Beverly Hills where he received an outpouring of support from the community.

In 2015, Chief Buchannan left the City of Beverly Hills to join the Vinita Park Police Department to help develop and form the North County Police Cooperative. Once the North County Police Cooperative was formed, then Captain Buchannan was assigned as commander of the Wellston Precinct. Chief Buchannan was promoted from Captain to Major, and then Lt. Colonel where he served as the Assistant Police Chief to Tim Swope. During that time the North County Police Cooperative grew to seven communities.  

Chief Buchannan is a member of the North County Police Chief’s Association, St. Louis Area Police Chief’s Association, and the Missouri Police Chief’s Association. Once appointed Chief of the North County Police Cooperative, Chief Buchannan adopted the “community first” motto and pledged that community policing would be in the forefront of the department’s policing methods. Chief Buchannan has also started a neighborhood watch program in every community that the department serves. Under Chief Buchannan’s Leadership, the NCPC has grown to become the 6th largest Municipal Police Department in St. Louis County and is an internationally Accredited Law Enforcement Agency By CALEA. Chief Buchannan’s energetic hands-on leadership style, along with 21st Century policing practices, have taken the criminal elements off the streets in an unbiased way and reduced crime while maintaining the support of his officers and community. Chief Buchannan has implemented numerous best police practices which have ultimately garnered safer communities for the 17,000+ citizens and hundreds of business owners the agency partners with. It is without a doubt Chief Buchannan’s mission to make the NCPC communities some of the safest in the nation. Chief Buchannan continues to work with the community and meet the individual needs of every community the North County Police Cooperative serves.