Staff

Lt. Col. Lawrence M. O’Toole
Executive Director
St. Louis Metropolitan Police Dept. (Ret.)
FBI National Academy Class 197

In September 2024, The BackStoppers Board of Directors selected Lt. Col. Lawrence O’Toole (retired) as the Executive Director of The BackStoppers, Inc.

He began his law enforcement career in January 1982 with the St. Louis County Police Department. In January 1984 he started his thirty-eight-year career with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.

Lt. Col. O’Toole served in every rank with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department up to and including Deputy Chief, Assistant Police Chief, and Interim Police Chief before retiring with over forty years of law enforcement experience in May of 2022.

Lt. Col. O’Toole possesses a Bachelor of Science Degree from Southeast Missouri State University and a Master of Business Administration from Lindenwood University.

He is also a graduate from the FBI National Executive Institute, the Anti-Defamation League Advanced Training School, the Naval Postgraduate School- Center for Homeland Defense and Security Executive Leaders Program, the Police Executive Research Forum Senior Management Institute for Police and the FBI National Academy along with numerous other specialized training schools.

He is the recipient of numerous Chief’s Letters of Commendation as well as Certificates of Appreciation from the United States Secret Service as well as the Drug Enforcement Administration, Department of Justice.

Elizabeth Bettale
Operations Manager

Jim Noonan
Finance Manager

Katelyn Klaus
Fundraisers and Social Media Manager, Staff Writer

Shawnee Sherrill
Office Coordinator

Kyle Bahr
Office Assistant

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