MN Supreme Court Orders Reinstatement Of Richfield Police Officer

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Minnesota Supreme Court has upheld the decision to reinstate a Richfield police officer after he was initially removed from the position due to an alleged excessive force incident from 2015.

Shortly after the October 2015 incident, video posted on Twitter showed what appeared to be officer Nate Kinsey pushing and hitting 19-year-old Kamal Gelle.

The city initially fired Kinsey, but an arbitrator ordered that he be reinstated.

In April of 2018, the court of appeals upheld the decision to fire Kinsey, adding that Kinsey had a prior history of using excessive force and he failed to properly report his behavior. The court also said that by enforcing the arbitration award, it would violate "well-defined and dominant public policies against excessive force."

The arbitrator argued Kinsey's failure to report the behavior was only a "lapse in judgement."

The Supreme Court decision handed down Wednesday stated it would reverse the appellate ruling because by enforcing the arbitration, it would not violate those public policies.

"As a 10-year veteran of the department, Officer Kinsey is held in high regard by his fellow officers and is known for his honesty, commitment and dedication. We are glad he will now have the opportunity to continue his chosen career in law enforcement," Sean Gormley, executive director of Law Enforcement Labor Services said.