The assistant police chief for the Minnesota State Fair is accusing the fair and the Ramsey County sheriff of retaliation after he reported concerns of officer conduct during last year’s fair.
Michael Coffey, a Cottage Grove officer who has worked as the assistant police chief of the fair since 2022, filed the whistleblower lawsuit against Fletcher and the State Agricultural Society — which governs the fair — last week.
After he reported the incidents, the lawsuit says Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher threatened to withhold police resources from the fair, and the fair’s CEO limited Coffey’s hours…