Ex-Ramsey Co. Sheriff Bob Fletcher retires from law enforcement
St. Paul Police Cmdr. and former Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher is retiring from law enforcement.
The 58-year-old veteran has led a high-profile career in politics and police work. He was a former St. Paul City Council member and ran for mayor in 1989. He backed a controversial effort to repeal the city's gay rights ordinance in 1991.
Fletcher was elected Ramsey County sheriff in 1994, and took a controversial role in investigating groups planning protests ahead of the 2008 convention.
Fletcher said he wants to spend more time working with the area's Somali community to help ease their transition as immigrants.
"I've developed a number of friendships, so I will work with many of the organizations that already exist," Fletcher said. "But I did start the Center for Somali History Studies with the goal of educating others about the complexity of the Somali experience, and over the last two years, we've trained over 900 people."
Fletcher first joined the St. Paul Police Department 36 years ago.
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