Rejection of Minneapolis police chief nominee prompts anxiety over department’s future

Supporters of Bill Peterson’s bid to become Minneapolis’ next police chief felt optimistic Thursday morning.

The Details

Top Minneapolis police supervisors, gathered behind closed doors, declared that the interim chief had the votes to secure the job.

But by mid-afternoon, following hours of scrutiny from skeptical City Council members, Peterson’s chances suddenly turned gloomy.

The council ultimately rejected the 31-year department veteran in an 8-5 vote, throwing the agency’s long-term leadership into question. It also marked the first known rejection of any Minneapolis police chief nominee by the council in modern history.

Peterson has signaled to colleagues and city officials that he will take the weekend to consider next steps, and whether he wishes to remain in the running for the job. Doing so risks a second demoralizing repudiation from the 13-member council, which already dealt a similar blow to the reappointment of Community Safety Commissioner Todd Barnette — Mayor Jacob Frey’s other top public safety pick — earlier this year.

Should Peterson choose to walk away, Frey will be forced to select another candidate he believes can garner majority support from the council. Given the mayor’s rocky relationship with the city council’s progressive majority, and the charged politics of public safety in Minneapolis, what comes next is likely to be messy.

Communities United Against Police Brutality, a police accountability group in Minneapolis that led the charge against Peterson’s appointment, called on Frey to reopen the search process to external candidates with a proven track record of changing department culture.

But starting the national search anew will be both costly and time-consuming. And many wonder who will want to apply.