Medaria Arradondo’s new book, Chief Rondo: Securing Justice for the Murder of George Floyd, is his personal reflection on his complex and tumultuous final years as the Minneapolis Police Department’s police chief. Born in Minneapolis, and still known simply as “Rondo” in the Northside neighborhood where he grew up, he worked his way to MPD’s highest position over a career that spanned more than three decades. But it was his time as chief, from 2017 to 2022, that remains in the national spotlight—specifically, his response in the days following George Floyd’s murder at the hands of one of his former officers and the chaos and destruction that followed in its aftermath.
Arradondo and I have known each other for 35 years, becoming friends when he was still a beat cop in the Fourth Precinct and I was starting as an Urban Affairs reporter at KMSP-TV 9. During our lengthy Zoom conversation for this piece, it became clear that he’s anything but done with law enforcement. As a now highly sought-after speaker, Arradondo’s influence reaches as far away as Liberia, a country he’s visited twice in the last two years to meet with President Joseph Boakai and his security experts to help develop new law enforcement procedures for a nation where half the population is under 18 years old. But while Arradondo spoke excitedly about his work helping to create a more peaceful society around the world, he understands that it was the years he spent in Minneapolis, culminating in his becoming the city’s first Black police chief, that will continue to shape his impact.
Trifecta
Three things about Medaria Arradondo
- Unbelievably, Arradondo’s never had a cup of coffee. Ever. In his entire life.
- He has a serious weakness for Peanut M&M’s, particularly the blue ones.
- Prince’s former head of security wanted Arradondo to join their team for the 1995 European Tour. While finalizing the deal, Arradondo asked Prince about signing a contract to formalize the deal. That was a no-no. Prince remained gracious during the call, but he didn’t get the gig.
Why did you decide that now was the time to write this book?
I had several people inquire about capturing my experiences on paper—even while I was still serving as chief, towards the tail end of my career, and certainly right after, but I had to feel that our city, the department, the organization had a chance to exhale…