By Liz Sawyer
Star Tribune
MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey intends to nominate Interim Chief Bill Peterson, a 30-year veteran of city’s police force, to lead the agency on a permanent basis, according to four people briefed about the decision.
Frey called each of the four internal finalists – Peterson, Assistant Chief Mark Klukow and Deputy Chiefs Charlie Adams and Jon Kingsbury – to inform them of his pick Thursday night, following a final round of interviews.
The appointment requires sign off by the City Council.
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Peterson was tapped to lead the Minneapolis Police Department shortly after Chief Brian O’Hara resigned in May amid findings that he interfered in an ongoing sexual misconduct investigation. Peterson initially said he was not interested in the long-term role.
“I will support the process of identifying the next permanent chief, but at this time I am not — I am not— planning to be a candidate for the permanent chief of police,” he said at the introductory news conference, emphasizing that he would “provide stability” during a period of transition.
“These jobs are extremely demanding,” he added. “I still love to lead, but the constant public scrutiny is something that, at this point, I don’t want to have to deal with.”
But sometime last month, Peterson reversed course, later informing his command staff – as well as the three remaining internal candidates who sit on his senior leadership team – that he was asked to put in for the job and had officially done so.
An MPD spokesman did not return a request for comment seeking clarification about what changed Peterson’s mind.
The city hired a California -based company, Public Sector Search & Consulting, to help recruit applicants in a national search earlier this spring. Nineteen law enforcement officers from across the country applied, including six from inside MPD. That’s roughly the same-size pool of candidates as the firm’s previous chief recruitment effort in 2022, which resulted in three external finalists.
Yet all the external candidates this time dropped out prior to the final phase of the interview process this fall, according to two people familiar with the matter. It’s not immediately clear why.
The search firm’s job posting said it would remain “open till filled,” allowing Peterson to formally submit his application weeks after many of the other candidates. The posting lists the salary range for the role as $289,941 to $340,938 per year.
Members of the two appointed interview panels, comprising elected officials, community members and law enforcement, were asked to sign non-disclosure agreements, people familiar with the process told the Minnesota Star Tribune .
Those with direct knowledge of the panels’ discussions, who are not authorized to speak publicly, said there was no clear consensus among panelists on who should ultimately be chosen.
Peterson’s nomination comes at a pivotal moment for the embattled department, which remains under a court-ordered settlement agreement with the state to implement myriad police reforms. If approved by the council, Peterson will be expected to rein in record overtime spending, balance the budget, bolster staffing, and rebuild morale.
Prior to taking the helm in June, Peterson served as the First Precinct Inspector, where he led policing downtown and within bordering neighborhoods since 2019.
Over the years, Peterson also helped manage the department’s response to major incidents and events, including the 2007 Interstate 35W bridge collapse, the 2011 North Side tornado, periods of civil unrest and large-scale public safety operations such as the 2014 Major League Baseball All-Star Game and Super Bowl LII in 2018.
Peterson raised his family in Minneapolis’ Bryn Mawr neighborhood, where he lived for 25 years before moving to the suburbs. That proximity, he said, allowed him to build strong relationships with community members, business leaders and law enforcement partners.
Peterson served in leadership roles across several divisions of the police department, including: the special operations division patrol unit, violent crimes investigations unit, robbery investigation, and Fourth Precinct patrol.
“You know me,” he said at the June news conference, pausing to compose his emotions. “I want all members of this department to feel supported and confident in the leadership that is in place.”
Affectionately known as Billy Jack by friends and colleagues, Peterson has long been respected by residents and the Downtown Council for overseeing patrols of the city’s entertainment district. Unlike his predecessor O’Hara, he prefers top keep a low profile, rarely granting interviews or appearing on television.
“I’m somebody who is always focused on the job but I’m not somebody who relishes the opportunity to jump in front of the camera,” Peterson said in June. Although he was initially reluctant to accept the temporary role, Peterson noted that he is “fully committed” to the job.
“I’m all-in,” he added.
Peterson’s personnel file is peppered with commendations, including a department award of merit for his leadership in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder and the civil unrest that followed.
“In a time where communications were difficult with the upper management due to the situation, Insp. Peterson was able to make the effective and timely decisions which resulted in the preservation of the 1st Precinct,” his staff wrote in their 2020 nomination letter, obtained through a data practices request. “His actions saved the City of Minneapolis from millions of dollars in property damage, property loss, and countless injuries.”
Subordinates lauded his “boots on the ground, lead by example style,” noting that he shared in the danger of being pelted with “with rocks, bottles and other projectiles” during the worst crisis in departmental history.
Peterson also received a Medal of Valor for his response to the mass shooting at Accent Signage in 2012, which killed four people.
He has been the subject of at least eight complaints between 1999 and 2021, according to the city’s officer complaint dashboard. All of them were closed with no discipline. Two additional complaints, filed sometime since 2023, remain open with the Office of Community Safety .
This summer, the city held a series of public hearings to gather community feedback about what they wanted in MPD’s next leader following O’Hara’s abrupt exit.
Residents were often mixed on whether they wished to take another gamble on an external hire, who would have a tough learning curve adapting to the unique politics and culture of Minneapolis .
At one such meeting, Buzzy Bohn , a longtime Northsider and retired Minneapolis Public Schools employee, told council members that whoever was chosen should be expected to actually make this city their home.
“The police chief of Minneapolis needs to be in Minneapolis . That’s the bottom line,” said Bohn, noting that O’Hara’s family never relocated with him for the job so he was frequently traveling out of state to visit them.
“Frankly, we don’t have a great track record of hiring outside.”
But last week, five council members from the council’s progressive flank penned a letter to Frey calling on him to choose an external candidate for chief because the agency has “exhibited a resistance to reform.”
“There is a unique dysfunction and mismanagement of the city’s police department that is not found elsewhere,” wrote Council President Elliott Payne and council members Robin Wonsley , Aisha Chughtai , Jason Chavez and Soren Stevenson .
“Now is not the time to promote from within while such entrenched challenges run to the very core of the department,” the letter continued. “We call on you to nominate an individual who will guide in real change and elevate a strong leader willing to challenge the status quo within the department while performing strong oversight and accountability.”
Unlike the St. Paul Police Department , which almost always elevates chiefs from within, Minneapolis occasionally reaches outside its own ranks to find a new leader.
However, O’Hara was the first outsider to take charge since 2006.
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