Arradondo also said the department would put in place systems that would allow leaders to identify early warning signs of police misconduct.
Speaking at a press conference later on Wednesday, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey backed Arradondo’s decision to pull out of negotiations.
“He’s the right person to lead our department through a full-on cultural shift and restructure the terms of the way that our Minneapolis Police Department does business,” Frey said. “Chief Arradondo’s decision to withdraw from the union contract negotiations is the right one. It shows courage, it shows integrity, and he has my full support.”
The police chief’s announcement followed nationwide calls for an end to racial injustice in policing sparked by the death of Floyd, a 46-year-old black man killed by a Minneapolis police officer.
On Sunday, the Minneapolis City Council announced a veto-proof majority of its members would vote to dismantle the city’s police department. But Arradondo vowed the department would continue to ensure the safety of city residents until another system was in place.
“Our elected officials certainly can engage in those conversations, but until there is a robust plan that reassures the safety of our residents, I will not leave them,” Arradondo said.
Arradondo, who in 2017 became the department’s first African American leader, said race is “inextricably a part of the American policing system.”
“We will never evolve in this profession if we do not address it head on. Communities of color have paid the heaviest of costs, and that is with their lives,” Arradondo said. “And our children must be safeguarded from ever having to contribute to the horrific and shameful chapter of this country’s history.”
