In Minneapolis, public to weigh in on Dolan nomination

Members of the Minneapolis City Council will listen to public testimony over the nomination of police Chief Tim Dolan to serve another term on Wednesday afternoon.

Those who support Dolan's reappointment say the chief's approach to law enforcement has led to historic drops in violent crime throughout the city. City council member Elizabeth Glidden said reductions in crime are good but not the only factor she'll consider before she votes on Dolan's reappointment.

"We need to have a department that we all have faith in and that reflects certain values," Glidden said.

Glidden said some of the values she wants to see upheld by the chief include diversity, improvement in community relations and officer discipline. The council will vote on the chief's nomination next week.

But some of Dolan's critics say the drop in crime has been accompanied by an increase in police misconduct complaints.

"Communities United Against Police Brutality operates a 24-hour hotline, and we actually receive more complaints from Minneapolis than the Civilian Review Authority and the Internal Affairs combined," said Michelle Gross, who's with a citizen watchdog group that takes complaints from people who say they've been mistreated by police officers.

A report from the police Internal Affairs Unit found a slight increase in investigations between 2007 and 2008. However the number of investigations based on use of force by officers is on a downward trend.