Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo announced plans to withdraw from contract negotiations with the police department’s union.
Arradondo detailed his plans for police reform during a press conference on Wednesday.
“I plan to bring in subject matter experience and advisers to conduct a thorough review of how the contract can be restructured to provide greater community transparency and more flexibility for true reform,” Arradondo said.
The decision is reportedly being made to expedite plans for reform. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D) also supported Arradondo’s decision.
“Chief Arradondo has my 100% support. … He’s the right person to lead our department through a full-on cultural shift and restructure the terms of the way that our Minneapolis Police Department does business,” Frey said.
He continued, “Chief Arradondo’s decision to withdraw from the union contract negotiations is the right one. It shows courage, it shows integrity, and he has my full support.”
See Frey’s comments below:
Minneapolis Mayor Frey: "Chief Arradondo's decision to withdraw from the union contract negotiations is the right one. It shows courage, it shows integrity and he has my full support." https://t.co/DAIlPc1foR pic.twitter.com/oiYO9qPLEf
— ABC News (@ABC) June 11, 2020
Arradondo’s decision comes as police unions have also come under fire for hindering efforts to hold officers accountable for their actions. Previous Minneapolis police chiefs have also made efforts for reform but were met with opposition from the police union.
The death of George Floyd at the hands of a now-former Minneapolis Police Department officer has also shed light on racially-charged internal clashes within the department.
In 2007, five black police officers sued the department for the racial discrimination they faced after joining the force.
According to the lawsuit, Arradondo was one of the five black officers who accused Robert Bob Kroll, now the head of the Minneapolis Police Federation, and other officers of discrimination.
In the suit, the officers said “they had faced retaliation since joining the department, like in 1992, when they received a letter from interoffice mail signed with ‘KKK,'” as Business Insider reported.
Kroll also has a history of complaints, noting “excessive use of force” during his time as a police officer. Arradondo has made it clear that he is committed to forward progression for the police department.
“Our elected officials certainly can engage in those conversations, but until there is a robust plan that reassures the safety of our residents, I will not leave them,” Arradondo said.