Challenging times for interim police chief

I support the community and family of Amir Locke in asking for her resignation.”

Aisha Chughtai

She is, in my experience, the smartest cop I’ve known.”

Linea Palmisano

Since Jan. 15, 2022, when Amelia Huffman took over as head of the Minneapolis Police Department, she has faced what may the biggest challenge of her career.
In the days following the police killing of Amir Locke, some have called for her resignation, others are hopeful that her experience and commitment to the city will help her be effective in her role of interim, and possibly permanent, police chief.
Huffman, a longtime Southwest Minneapolis resident, grew up in Springfield Ohio, graduated from Smith College, in Massachusetts, joined the Minneapolis Police Department in 1994, and has lived in the city ever since. Now residing in the Cedar-Isles Dean neighborhood, she has also lived in Stevens Square, Uptown and Kingfield.
In the Minneapolis Police Department, Huffman has worked as a patrol officer, as well as an investigator in the financial crimes, crimes against children and internal affairs units. She has served as the public information officer and commander of the homicide and licensing units. More recently, she worked in the southwest’s 5th Precinct as a lieutenant, then as inspector, leading the precinct from 2019-2021. Following that, she has been deputy chief under former Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo.
“I look forward to continuing the work to lead the Minneapolis Police Department toward building a better future in collaboration with our communities,” Huffman said at the press conference in December when the mayor announced his decision to nominate her for interim chief. “I’ve lived in Minneapolis for 28 years and I love my city,” she said.
“We have challenges to address to be sure – violent crime, hiring for the future, investing in training and stronger systems – but it is our duty to pick up the work done by chief Arradondo and carry it into the next chapter.”

‘SMARTEST COP I’VE EVER KNOWN’
She took over at the Fifth precinct when police community relations were tense following the death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond, who was shot and killed by a Fifth Precinct officer.
Council member Linea Palmisano has known Huffman since 2018, and recalls her leadership during challenging times at the Fifth Precinct. “Amelia was the inspector during the social unrest and has had to deal with very difficult situations,” said Palmisano. “She is, in my experience, the smartest cop I’ve ever known. And she has the ability to explain the law that people appreciate and understand.”
As inspector, Huffman made a point of attending neighborhood meetings. “Anytime she was asked to be at a neighborhood meeting she was there,” said Palmisano, who noted her knowledge, accessibility and focus on building authentic relationships with people as some of Huffman’s greatest strengths.

‘SHE FELL SHORT’
Huffman only had a few weeks to start to build those relationship as interim chief before, on Feb. 2, she was forced to address the police killing of Amir Locke and the community outrage that followed. A press conference with the mayor on Feb. 3 became so heated that it ended with the mayor and chief’s abrupt departure when it was interrupted by attendees, including Nekima Levy Armstrong, a co-chair of the mayor’s recently formed public safety workgroup. The next day a small group of protestors, which included Levy Armstrong, gathered at city hall and joined those calling for her resignation. In the days that followed, protests continued, including an evening demonstration outside what demonstrators believed was Huffman’s home in the Cedar-Isles Dean area.
Since then, and as the investigation into Locke’s killing are ongoing, protests continue and lawmakers work to respond, Huffman has not resigned and appears to have the continued confidence of the mayor and at least some council members, including Palmisano.
Others have joined some community members who are calling for her resignation. That includes Ward 5 Council Member Jeremiah Ellison, who said in an interview on Feb. 10, “I have lost confidence in the interim chief.” He added, “We need leadership who is going to stand boldly and tell us the truth in these moments, and I think she fell short of that.”
Ward 10 Council Member Aisha Chughtai agrees with Ellison. “I support the community and family of Amir Locke in asking for her resignation,” she said of Huffman. Unlike Palmisano, Chughtai has only met Huffman once during a new council member orientation. “She hasn’t reached out,” she said, adding that Huffman has not attended or participated in any council committee meetings this term as far as she knows.
The recent charter change may be partly to blame for that. Under the previous charter, even interim department head appointments went through a council committee and needed city council approval. According to the city attorney, because of the recent charter amendment approved last November that gave the mayor additional powers, the mayor did not need the council’s approval to designate Huffman as the interim chief. Under the new charter language, however, the permanent replacement will require an affirmative vote by a majority of the council members.
Without any history working with Huffman, Chughtai bases her position on the community voices she is hearing and how the interim chief has managed things, including community engagement after Locke’s death. “It’s our job as elected officials to listen to and follow the community’s lead,” she said. “I think she [Huffman] handled the aftermath of the killing poorly.” She said that the press conference “went very badly.”
Chughtai said, “In moments of crisis like this, managing relationships is very important and working with the community is critical.”

NATIONAL SEARCH BEGINS
Huffman has expressed interest in the permanent position and will likely be part of the national search process that is underway. In early March, the mayor announced that he is establishing a community advisory group to assist with the effort and that the city will hire the firm, Public Sector Search & Consulting Inc. (PSSC) to lead the process.
Palmisano is supportive of a national search, but is not ruling out Huffman as a possible candidate for the more permanent police chief position. “I think what Huffman brings to the table is something unique,” she said, mentioning her in-depth knowledge, experience, relationships with the people of Minneapolis and her strong strategic management and problem-solving skills.
Chughtai, at this point, has no intention of supporting Huffman even if the search team and mayor recommend her for the position. “As the next police chief, I hope we will have someone who is willing to engage with the community and with the council,” she said, adding, “and while she [Huffman] is the interim chief, I hope that she will engage with the council.”
With no indication that Huffman will resign and with the search process projected to go until summer, it looks like there will be time for that to occur.