Minneapolis police chief Medaria Arradondo named a finalist for police chief job in San Jose, CA

Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo is a finalist for the chief of police in San Jose, California.

The information was confirmed in a document sent to the San Jose City Council and Mayor from City Manager David Sykes.

Arradondo became the chief of police in Minneapolis after Janee Harteau resigned in 2017. He is the first Black person to serve as chief of the Minneapolis Police Department.

Arradondo is one of six finalists. Four of the other finalists are members of the San Jose Police Department.

The finalists will participate in a candidate forum on Jan. 30. Carolina Camarena, director of communications with the city of San Jose, said Arradondo will be in attendance at the forum.

John Elder, director of police information for the city of Minneapolis, issued the following statement.

"The City of San Jose, California is considering Chief Arradondo as a potential candidate as that city’s next police chief.

"This would not be the first time a municipality has shown interest in Chief Arradondo to lead their police agency. At this time Chief Arradondo has not had any formal discussions with San Jose city officials.

"While humbled and honored for their interest and awareness of the positive, nationally recognized work of MPD sworn and civilian members over the years, Chief Arradondo remains committed to the public safety of the residents and businesses of Minneapolis and continuing the important MPD transformational change in the spirit of healing and moving our city forward in collaboration with our communities."

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey issued the following statement regarding the news:

"Chief Arradondo’s combination of compassion for his community and commitment to public safety has made his leadership indispensable.

"This isn’t the first time his work has drawn interest from another jurisdiction. As I’ve repeatedly stated, he’s the most talented chief in the country, and he continues to have my full and complete support."

The news comes after months of tension in the city following the death of George Floyd, who was killed while in police custody. Since Floyd’s death, some city leaders and activists have called for major reforms to the department’s role in the community.

This is a breaking news story. KSTP is working to get more details on this story and will post updates as more information becomes available.

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