Chief Arrandondo made history in 2018 by becoming the first Black police chief in the city’s history.

--

Chioma Uwagwu reports: 

On Monday Minneapolis chief of police Medaria Arradondo announced he will step down from his position in January 2022.

“After much personal reflection and thoughtful discussions with my family and Mayor Frey, I have made the decision that I will not be accepting a new term as chief of the Minneapolis police department,” he said. 

An officer of the Minneapolis Police Department since 1989, Chief Arrandondo made history in 2018 by becoming the first Black police chief in the city’s history.  

Civil Rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong says she is disappointed by the news, but she understands it. Levy Armstrong says the chief has faced a great deal of criticism, much of which was related to issues that he inherited with the department.

“There is still a lot of unfinished business in the city of Minneapolis when it comes to public safety and the status of the Minneapolis police department,” she said. “And so perhaps he feels that it's time for someone else to take the baton and run the next leg of the race.”

Levy Armstrong says although she and the chief haven’t always seen eye to eye, she would like to see a similar style of leadership from the next chief. 

“One of the most critical moments that happened during the chiefs tenure was the murder of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police department,” she said. “The chief made the decision to fire those officers and we also saw him take a nearly unprecedented step of testifying in the trial against Derek Chauvin.”

Chief Arrandondo says that he is not stepping down to take another job elsewhere nor does he plan to run for elected office. 

Mayor Frey is expected to announce an interim chief in the coming days in conjunction with plans for a national search for Arradondo’s replacement.