South Hennepin News

Minneapolis Police Cheif Medaria Arradondo promised a transformational reform after withdrawing from the Police Officers' Federation of Minneapolis contract negotiations earlier this month. 

Arradondo said his department still plans to protect the city despite calls from nine city council members to defund it. 

"What our city needs now more than ever is a pathway and a plan that provides hope, reassurance and actionable measures of reform," Arradondo said. 

The Center Square Minneapolis reported that the contract would be restructured to allow for more transparency and flexibility in critical incident protocols. 

Arradondo said that it's frustrating to be in situations where there are grounds to fire an officer for misconduct; however, third-party mechanisms allow the officer to remain in the department and still patrolling the community. 

Though the reform will take time, Arradondo is confident that it will lead to a police department the community will be able to trust. 

Mayor Jacob Frey praised Arradondo's promises of reform. 

"Additional accountability between the people and the police needs to be matched with internal ability to closely monitor police behavior and intervene early to prevent more tragedy," Frey said in a statement. "I applaud the chief's courage, continued resolve to challenge the status quo, and clear message for the people of Minneapolis."