Mpls cop who once sued department now heads Internal Affairs Unit

In 2007, Lt. Medaria Arradondo

(MPR file photo/Dan Olson)

and four other black police officers sued the police department for racial discrimination. The men alleged that they were passed over for promotions and unfairly disciplined because of their race. The city settled with the officers in 2009 for $740,000.

Arradondo joined the MPD in 1989 and has held several different supervisory positions in the department during his career. In his new position, he will oversee the department's branch that investigates officer misconduct complaints.

Minneapolis Police Chief Janee Harteau promoted Arradondo in December. Harteau herself once filed a human rights complaint against the department for sex discrimination when she was a patrol officer in the 1990s.

The promotion ceremony for Arradondo and more than a dozen officers will be held Friday afternoon at the Augsburg College Chapel in Minneapolis.

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