Chief Dan Isom

Lt. Col. William Brown

Chief Ron Henderson

Today’s news story announcing the St. Louis Police Board’s appointment of Maj. Daniel Isom as chief of police observes that Isom and former Police Chief Ron Henderson “are married to sisters.”

That’s true — but there’s more to it. This is a story of one of St. Louis’ great police families.

The sisters are Virginia Isom and Peggy Henderson. A third sister, Sherry Beck, married Michael Beck, who retired as a police commander.

Their dad is the late William H. Brown.

William H. Brown spent 38 years as a member of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. He retired in 1988 as an assistant chief of police, and was the first African American to serve as the department’s chief of detectives — which means he commanded the department’s Bureau of Investigation.

Robert J. Baer, president of Metro, was head of the police board that appointed Brown chief of detectives in 1986. He remembers Brown as “a low-key, quality person,” a “strong, effective manager” who was “thoughtful and never grandstanded.”

Former Chief Henderson says Isom’s calm, low-key demeanor is much like that of their father in law.

But Henderson — who for many years lived upstairs from his in-laws — also noted it would a big mistake to see this as weakness.

“Even in my father in law’s retirement, he still was the colonel, who was pleased with our police work — but emphasized we had better be taking good care of his daughters.”