After treading troubled waters, Tim Dolan was promoted to Minneapolis police chief Friday.
With less criticism than in previous discussions, the Minneapolis City Council voted 12-1 to make the interim police chief the city’s top cop.
Ward 3 Council member Diane Hofstede, whose district encompasses the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood, supported Dolan on Friday.
“I have full confidence in his ability to do the job,” Hofstede said.
She said she’s had multiple conversations with Dolan about the ward. The new chief, Hofstede said, is willing to make changes to address crime in the 2nd Precinct, which includes Southeast Minneapolis.
The city will add 71 officers over the next year, and Hofstede said she’s been assured the 2nd Precinct will get about half of them.
One of Dolan’s strengths is he understands the internal workings of the police force, she said.
Mayor R.T. Rybak applauded the Council’s decision in a news release.
“Tim Dolan knows this community, he has the confidence of our police and he is an innovative leader who knows exactly
what we need right now to make our city safe,” the statement said.
The Council also adopted a leadership and accountability framework for Dolan.
Council members Elizabeth Glidden, Cam Gordon, Betsy Hodges, Ralph Remington and Don Samuels worked with Dolan to develop goals for his tenure as chief. The resolution’s 10 principles will be used by the Executive Committee and the Public Safety and Regulatory Services Committee to evaluate Dolan’s performance.
The chief is expected to work to ensure that 100 percent of sustained complaints against police officers, as identified by the city’s Civilian Police Review Authority, result in discipline.
Four times a year, Dolan will also have to report to the Council complaints received and sustained, as well as disciplinary measures imposed.
Another goal is to diversify the police force.
The Council also has stated it wants to end racial profiling in the police force by adopting specific policies and procedures, including anti-racism training for officers and tracking profiling data.
A difficult path
Dolan’s trek from nomination to confirmation was not smooth. The 23-year police department veteran had drawn criticism from multiple council members.
The dissenting vote in Friday’s decision came from Remington.
Remington, Ward 10, did not return calls or e-mails for comment after the vote, but
he spoke out against Dolan’s nomination process at an Oct. 11 Executive Committee meeting.
Remington had voiced concerns about unattended Civilian Police Review
Authority cases sitting on the chief’s desk. Dolan still hadn’t dealt with cases from former Chief William McManus, who left in March for a chief position in San Antonio, Remington said.
Gordon, who represents Ward 2, which includes the University and surrounding neighborhoods, also questioned the candidate-selection process at the Oct. 11 meeting.
He asked how much community input went into choosing the chief.
According to Rybak, candidate selection criteria were based on 33 community meetings.
“I thought it was a good strategy,” Rybak said at the meeting.
Dolan passed his Executive Committee vote narrowly, with three “yes” votes and two abstentions.
Robert Lilligren, Ward 6, said he abstained at the Executive Committee meeting because he was not ready to vote for or against Dolan.
Council member Scott Benson, Ward 11, also abstained from voting at that meeting. But both he and Lillegren voted to confirm Dolan on Friday.
The Public Safety and Regulatory committee approved Dolan on Oct. 18. He will be sworn in for a three-year term in January.
