Harteau Again Thanks Community, Encourages Support For Arradondo
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Two days after resigning, former Minneapolis Police Chief Janee Harteau released a statement Sunday on her Facebook page.
In a Facebook posting Sunday, Harteau said that she's "overwhelmed with humility and appreciation" over the flood of support she's received this weekend.
"I love this city, the members of the MPD and all of you," she wrote. "You are the reason I have done this work for three decades."
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On Friday, Harteau resigned as chief of the Minneapolis Police Department amid controversy over her response to the fatal police shooting of Justine Damond.
Forty-year-old Damond, a yoga teacher and Australian native, was fatally shot last weekend by Minneapolis officer Mohamed Noor after calling 911 over a possible sexual assault occurring in the alley behind her home.
Her resignation came at the request of Mayor Betsy Hodges, whom Harteau had clashed with in the past. Meanwhile, Hodges is also facing calls to step down from her office, which she's seeking to hold in the up-coming mayoral race.
Early last week, Harteau endured criticism for not immediately cutting short her vacation to handle the aftermath of the Damond shooting, which quickly made international headlines.
The shooting remains under investigation. Noor has yet to give a statement to investigators, and Harteau has described his actions as those of single individual, not reflective of the police department's training or practices.
Harteau thanked people for her support and asked people to support the new nominee for chief, Assistant Chief Medaria Arradondo. We're now learning more about his past with the Minneapolis Police Department.
Mayor Betsy Hodges nominated Arradondo Friday. He's a Minneapolis native who's been with Minneapolis police since 1989.
Known as "Rondo," he's served as a school resource officer and north side beat cop. Now that the mayor nominated Arradondo for chief, an executive committee of the city council and mayor will discuss whether he's right for the role. The public will also get to weigh in.
The final step is a vote by the Minneapolis City Council, but there is one council member who wonders whether the process is moving too fast. Linea Palmisano is raising the question of whether external candidates should be considered.
"From what I've been hearing throughout the course of the week, I'm not sure that somebody that's internal to the department, as beloved Rondo is to everybody that knows him, I want to be thoughtful of this and considerate and I think the worst thing we can do is be reactionary," Palmisano said.
As Arradondo moves through the process, a past lawsuit could come up. He's among five high-ranking black police officers who sued the city and former police chief Tim Dolan. The suit alleges Dolan created a culture of racial discrimination and a hostile working environment.
The city settled, paying the officers a total of $740,000.
