Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges has confirmed the resignation of Minneapolis Police Chief Janeé Harteau, following the fatal police shooting of an Australian woman that gripped global headlines.
Mayor Hodges asked Chief Harteau to resign after Harteau had been away from her post on a personal hiking trip until Thursday, several days after a media storm erupted from the July 15 fatal shooting of Justine Maia Ruszczyk by Officer Mohamed Noor.
Upon her return, Harteau faced a litany of questions around the department’s response and why the two police officers, Noor and Officer Matthew Harrity, had not activated their body cameras.
Hodges heralded Harteau’s 30 years on the force, but said, “I’ve lost confidence in the Chief’s ability to lead us further,” in a statement.
“It is clear that she has lost the confidence of the people of Minneapolis as well,” the mayor added.
The mayor said that for the last three and a half years, the two had worked together and “done more, faster, to transform policing, public safety, and public trust than any other mayor, police chief, police department, or city in America.” The statement added that the department would continue its transformation unabated under a new chief.
Harteau released a resignation statement saying “last Saturday’s tragedy, as well as some other recent incidents, have caused me to engage in deep reflection.”
“My goal with MPD 2.0 was to leave the department better than when I became Chief, and I believe that we have,” Harteau wrote.
Harteau was appointed to the position in 2012 and became the city’s first female, first openly gay and first Native American police chief, according to the Associated Press.
