Arradondo, Minneapolis Chief Amid Floyd Fallout, To Retire
December 7, 2021 11:09AM CST
In this image from video, witness Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo testifies as Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill presides Monday, April 5, 2021, in the trial of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis. Chauvin is charged in the May 25, 2020 death of George Floyd. (Court TV via AP, Pool)
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo announced Monday that he won’t accept a third term as chief.
It’s a blow to a department that has been reeling since four officers were charged in George Floyd’s death.
The 54-year-old Arradondo said it was time for new leadership at the department. He’ll step down in January, with Mayor Jacob Frey appointing a replacement.
Arradondo, the city’s first Black police chief, was promoted to chief in 2017 following the firing of his predecessor for her handling of the fatal police shooting of Justine Ruszczyk Damond. He was seen as an agent of change in a department described by many as discriminatory toward the city’s people of color.
