Janee Harteau Wins National Law Enforcement Award

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Just weeks after she stepped down as chief of the Minneapolis Police Department, Janee Harteau has been endorsed with a national award.

Harteau was awarded the 2017 designation of Woman Law Enforcement Executive of the Year, which is awarded by the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives.

The award is meant to recognize a leader "who has exhibited sustained extraordinary professional accomplishments and significant contributions to the field of law enforcement over the course of her career."

She was nominated for the award in April and selected to receive the award in May, according to NAWLEE.

"Thank you NAWLEE and Motorola for such an incredible recognition and award. Nothing good is ever done alone and I'm thankful to those who've been with me every step of the way at work and at home," Harteau wrote on her Facebook page.

Harteau resigned on the request of Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges, after she remained on vacation for days during the aftermath of the shooting of Justine Damond.

She became the city's first female and openly gay chief nearly five years ago, but her leadership came under fire in the past few years following controversy.

Harteau was chosen by Mayor RT Rybak in 2012 and re-nominated by Hodges in 2015. The public back and forth between the chief and Mayor Hodges began after the police shooting of Jamar Clark in 2015, which sparked months of protests at the department's 4th Precinct. A federal investigation blamed Hodges for miscommunication between her office and the police chief in the wake of that shooting.