January 2, 2004 - MPR’s Cathy Wurzer interviews Minneapolis Police Chief Robert Olson a day before he leaves his position. Minneapolis Police Chief Robert Olson's contract expires tomorrow, after a nine-year tenure. When he took over the police department, crime was high, and some people started calling the city Murderapolis. But Olson brought a new approach to crime fighting, including an initiative called CODEFOR, which uses computers to track problems around the city in “real time" and crime went down under his watch. More recently, the department finalized a mediation agreement with parts of the community that's expected to address allegations of police misconduct, use of deadly force and other issues. During his time, Olson even survived Mayor R.T. Rybak's attempt to buy out his contract two years early. Rybak has recently named Bill McManus, Police Chief in Dayton, Ohio, to take over for Olson later this month, if McManus gets the necessary votes on the city council. Chief Olson is going to stay on the job for a while to ensure a smooth transition. As his time as Minneapolis Police Chief ends, Olson says it's still a tough job.
January 7, 2004 - Mayor R.T. Rybak's pick for police chief, William McManus, met with residents at a south Minneapolis community center last night. The mayor's office organized the meeting in anticipation of two key council actions today. With the full council vote a week and a half away, Rybak is applying pressure on those council members who are still not supporting McManus.
February 27, 2004 - A Minneapolis Deputy Chief suspended with two other officers denies allegations she ordered the destruction of an internal memo. Police Chief William McManus suspended Lucy Gerold and two officers who serve under her while the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension conducts an investigation. The suspension comes less than two weeks after McManus took office promising a zero-tolerance stance on police misconduct.
April 16, 2004 - Minnesota Public Safety Commissioner Rich Stanek resigned under pressure this afternoon in response to an admission 12 years ago that he used racial slurs during his work as a police officer. An African American state lawmaker and several African American community leaders raised questions today about the racial epithets Stanek admitted making during a court deposition in 1992. The renewed attention to the deposition came on the eve of Stanek's scheduled confirmation hearing in the Minnesota Senate. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports.
April 18, 2004 - Mainstreet Radio’s Dan Gunderson reports that searchers found the body of Dru Sjodin in a ditch northwest of Crookston on Saturday, April 17th. The 22-year-old University of North Dakota Student had been missing since November 2003. Police believe she was taken from a Grand Forks mall parking lot by a convicted sex offender.
April 22, 2004 - A committee charged with improving relations between the Minneapolis police department and communities of color last night discussed the return of Rich Stanek to the police force. Stanek resigned his post as the state's Public Safety Commissioner last Friday after a 1992 deposition resurfaced in which Stanek admitted that he used racial slurs to describe people of color. The committee didn't take a formal position, but some members say Stanek should be forgiven for his remarks but should first make amends to the communities he offended.
April 23, 2004 - Minneapolis black leaders met with Police Chief William McManus today in anticipation of former Public Safety Commissioner Rich Stanek's return to the Police Department. Stanek resigned a week ago over his admission in a deposition 12 years ago that he used a racial epithet. He calls opposition to his confirmation to the public safety post 'meanspirited' and says he could've convinced Senators to confirm him if given the chance.
May 11, 2004 - MPR’s Brandt Williams reports that the arrest of a Hmong St. Paul police officer is the latest development in an investigation into several incidents of violence involving Hmong and Lao residents. Federal law enforcement officials are trying to determine how several recent shootings and arson fires are linked.
May 13, 2004 - MPR’s Brandt Williams reports that the involvement of a Hmong police officer in a series of violent incidents is puzzling St. Paul law enforcement officials. Part of the mystery surrounds officer Tou Cha's explanation of why the shell casings found at the scene of a drive-by shooting matched his gun.
May 26, 2004 - The Minneapolis Police Department is investigating the death of a man who died after being subdued and arrested by Minneapolis police officers earlier this morning. Police officers responded to calls about a man who was acting erratically. Police officials say after the man was subdued by officers, the man began having trouble breathing and was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. The incident will apparently test the recently signed federally mediated agreement between police and community leaders.