Frizell sues Minneapolis police chief, city over demotion

The Minneapolis Police Department's former deputy chief of patrol has filed a federal lawsuit against the city and Police Chief Janeé Harteau over a recent demotion.

Eddie Frizell, who ran unsuccessfully for Hennepin County Sheriff after 22 years with Minneapolis police, was demoted to commander of operations and administration when his position was eliminated in November.

In a lawsuit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, Frizell claims that after he made comments to the media about his dismay over the new position, he was demoted again to lieutenant, was a violation of his First Amendment rights.

"It's a significant drop in rank, and there's also a concurrent paycut that went with that," said Natalie Wyatt-Brown, Frizell's attorney. "And more importantly, his future career options have been limited as a result of his demotion."

As a military veteran, Frizell had a right to a hearing on his demotion, Wyatt-Brown said.

The suit asks that Frizell be reinstated as deputy chief of patrol and that he receive unspecified monetary damages.

In a statement on Facebook, Minneapolis Chief of Police Janeé Harteau said she understands "that not everyone will agree with the decisions I make, however, all of my decisions are grounded in our core values of commitment, integrity and transparency."