Long list of challenges for Minneapolis interim police chief
The new interim police chief in Minneapolis is stepping into a leadership role that comes with significant challenges, including a department that is down hundreds of officers, a city experiencing a surge in violent crime and strained community relations over the death of George Floyd.
Medaria Arradondo, 54, announced earlier this week that he would retire in January after 32 years at the department, calling it time for a new chief to lead.
Deputy Police Chief Amelia Huffman will become the department’s interim chief, Mayor Jacob Frey said Tuesday.
Huffman said she will focus on filling the department’s depleted ranks, improve training for both officers and supervisors and work to repair trust issues between law enforcement and certain communities, particularly those of color.
“Some of you are likely planning to ask me why I want this job in the face of all the challenges,” Huffman said. “I can’t tell you what a tremendous place I believe Minneapolis is. What we have to offer in terms of quality of life is fantastic and I would change it for no place.”
Frey said the city would conduct a national search for the city’s next chief, a job Huffman would like to keep when her interim appointment ends.
Arradondo said that he will step down in mid-January. He guided the department through the tumult following the May 2020 death of Floyd, a Black man killed by a white police officer, and whose death triggered violent protests in the city and elsewhere.
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