Minneapolis police chief to step down

The verdict, as they say, is still out on whether Minnesota has turned the corner on its current crime epidemic.

It was announced today that Medaria Arradondo, Minneapolis police chief since 2017, would step down at the end of his second term, next month. Chief Arradondo joined the force in 1989 as a patrolman and worked his way up to the top job.

In the last two years, he has seen the Minneapolis force through the killing of George Floyd, the resulting riots, and the defeat in last month’s election of the ballot initiative to defund the city’s police department. The city will conduct a nationwide search for his replacement, who will begin a four-year term.

Across town, the Minnesota State Fair is reinstating its police department after a one-year absence. The local Ramsey County Sheriff’s office provided on-site security for this year’s fair, after the fair’s police chief retired earlier this year.

Criminals are upping their game. Chaos reigned as nine agencies were called to help with crowd control following a double shooting at a suburban West St. Paul gas station. A large crowd confronted the first responders arriving to help the victims. Eventually, the two victims were transported to a local hospital.

The Twin Cities appear to be descending into the mayhem already seen in west coast cities. Author Michael Shellenberger has an opinion piece in the NY Post on “How looting in San Francisco turned the city into a ghost town.” He writes,

There may be several factors behind the looting. Part of the problem is a lack of police. San Francisco and other cities are short of cops, making robberies easier to get away with. San Francisco is short 400 officers, Los Angeles 300, with Minneapolis down by 200.

Here’s wishing good luck to the next Minneapolis police chief.