Hennepin County chief judge nominated as Minneapolis safety commissioner
Hennepin County Chief Judge Todd Barnette (front) is Mayor Jacob Frey's (center) nominee for Community Safety Commissioner.
Courtesy City of Minneapolis
Minneapolis may soon have a new community safety commissioner. Mayor Jacob Frey named his choice for the position as Hennepin County Chief Judge Todd Barnette.
Barnette has been tapped to oversee not only the police department, but fire and community safety as well. The city has been looking to fill the position since mid-July, when Cedric Alexander gave the city his notice that he would retire on Sept. 1. Now just 10 days later, there’s a new appointment to the position.
MPR News reporters Matt Sepic and Nina Moini joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about the nomination.
Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.
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Audio transcript
[AUDIO LOGO] CATHY: As I mentioned, one of the top stories, Minneapolis may soon have a new Community Safety Commissioner. Mayor Jacob Frey named his choice for the position, overseeing not only the Police Department, but Fire and Community Safety as well. The city has been looking to fill the position since mid-July, when Cedric Alexander gave the city his notice that he would retire September the 1st.
Well now, just 10 days later, there's a new appointment to the position. Matt Sepic covered the announcement, that just wrapped up. He's in our Minneapolis Bureau. Nina Moini has been following changes in the Police Department. She joins us as well. So thanks to you both.
Matt, I'm going to start with you. Who is the nominee?
MATT SEPIC: He is Hennepin County Chief Judge Todd Barnette. Barnette has served for 17 years on the district court here in Hennepin County. He's been Chief Judge since 2020, and was the first person of color in that position. Before he joined the bench, back in 2006, he spent two years as a Prosecutor in the Hennepin County Attorney's Office, and prior to that, he was a Public Defender for more than a decade.
Barnette was Chief Judge during the trial of former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin. It was the first criminal trial that was broadcast and live-streamed in the County's history. Chauvin, of course, was convicted of murdering George Floyd after that 2021 trial.
CATHY: Was the judge at this news conference, this event, where he was unveiled?
MATT SEPIC: Yes. And he said he was confident that the city could reimagine public safety, and said he's excited about the prospect of leading that overhaul. He was asked why he wants the job, and Barnette said Mayor Frey asked him the same thing. Here is what Judge Barnette had to say, just a little while ago.
TODD BARNETTE: I think it would be comfortable to continue as a Judge in Hennepin County. It's something that I know, something that I've been doing for the last 17 years. But here I see this is an opportunity that has a commitment behind it, where it's just not taught anymore in Minneapolis, it's about action and moving things forward.
MATT SEPIC: And if confirmed, Barnette would come to the job at a time that the city is starting a court ordered oversight agreement with a State Judge, and also a similar federal consent decree, coming down the pike following a Justice Department investigation. Barnette was asked how he would address staffing shortages, a big issue in Minneapolis. And he immediately turned to Police Chief Brian O'Hara, and pledged to work with him on recruiting, Cathy.
CATHY: What did the mayor say about his choice?
MATT SEPIC: Well, Mayor Frey said, everyone they talked with in the community really emphasized that they wanted someone with managerial experience in big organizations, but who also had strong ties to the community, and strong relationships. The mayor said they had to revise the job description quote, substantially he didn't have that available right away, but said he would send it out and make that public.
The mayor also said he wanted someone to make sure there's good communication with the Community Safety Department. And here's what the mayor had to say.
JACOB FREY: We wanted to see someone that had a broad set of experience in safety, not specifically in policing, or fire, or violence prevention, but someone who truly saw the whole chessboard, and was able to fill in some of the gaps that we presently experience.
MATT SEPIC: And I should note, Cathy, that Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara himself is new on the job about a year. He was asked about Judge Barnett, and said he just met the judge when he first started as Chief, but learned of the appointment only a few minutes before the Mayor announced the pick to the public.
CATHY: By the way, for folks not familiar, what does the Public Safety Commissioner do in Minneapolis?
MATT SEPIC: Well, this person supervises the Police Chief, oversees the Department, also the Fire Department, the 911 Emergency Management, and violence prevention efforts, which are getting more attention as a way to curb crime.
CATHY: So that's an awful lot, obviously.
MATT SEPIC: Quite a bit, yeah.
CATHY: Thank you. I'm going to let you just stay over there for just a moment. I'm going to bring Nina here to the microphone, if that's OK. Nina, we should talk about Cedric Alexander here for a few minutes. He was the first public safety commissioner in Minneapolis. He left after about, gosh, a year on the job. How would you describe his tenure?
NINA MOINI: Well, hi Cathy. It's important to set the scene about how big of a responsibility this job really is. He oversees Police, Fire, violence prevention efforts. Big of a job, but he was making more than $330,000 a year, one of the highest paying positions in the city, certainly way more than Mayor Frey makes.
And Alexander did clash with some council members, who opposed his appointment from the start. And then he later clashed with some members of the public in these series of a high profile Twitter disputes with residents that did earn him a reprimand from the Mayor. And after that, we really heard less from him publicly.
Alexander was also charged with taking on this cross-jurisdictional crime response, called Operation Endeavor, which he launched last fall. And Minneapolis did see a significant drop in violent crime, like shootings and carjackings, compared to that same time frame in 2021. So the mayor has credited Alexander's work on that effort as being a significant reason for the drop in gun violence, and other violent crimes. And that's despite a shortage of officers. So some successes and some weaker areas, Cathy.
CATHY: So as Matt mentioned, Judge Barnette will be taking over during a time of immense change. Cedric Alexander did not have to oversee this consent decree with the State Department of Human Rights. So what role will the judge play in that? And the second question here, what does the community want from someone like Judge Barnette?
NINA MOINI: Well, Barnette is going to be a part of a big group of public safety stakeholders. But he has a big role, in that he is going to oversee the consent decree, and making sure the City Departments are working together, and are ultimately in compliance with these court enforceable agreements. So we're still waiting to hear from the DOJ on what they'll be requiring from the city after their investigation, but that will eventually also come into play.
And the city has had several of these community listening sessions, that were mandated as part of that court agreement. And I've been to some of them. And when I attended these sessions, a lot of people told me, Cathy, that they felt they were getting a lot of lip service from the city, and really doubted if even these court ordered changes would be enough to create significant change, where they feel it counts the most, which is between police and community relationships. So from this perspective, it may be helpful to have someone with deeper roots in the community, like Judge Barnette, and someone who's had a wider view of the Justice system from his time in the courts, of course.
CATHY: Versus Cedric Alexander.
NINA MOINI: Sure, right.
CATHY: I'm wondering what Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty thinks of this.
NINA MOINI: So she has at times clashed with different members, and different public officials, for some of the charging decisions that she's made, some people thinking that they're too light. So when it comes to working with the Police Department and the Courts, Hennepin County Attorney, Mary Moriarty, did release a statement, a few minutes ago, that says she's eager to work with Judge Barnette in this capacity. She called him someone who has, quote, "a clear commitment to community engagement, and who will be a strong leader."
And we're also going to be keeping an eye out, of course, for how various city council members feel about the appointment, there's 13 of them. Because, ultimately, they're the ones who will approve that appointment.
CATHY: I'm glad you brought that up, because I'm going to bring Matt Sepic in here too. So the council, Matt, will hold a vote, right?
MATT SEPIC: Yes, that has not been scheduled yet, as far as I know, but because it is a mayoral appointment, the City Council is the legislative body. They do have to sign off on this appointment before Judge Barnette can take over into the job officially.
CATHY: And I'm assuming, maybe I shouldn't, but there'll be a public hearing on this?
MATT SEPIC: Most likely, yes, there will be an opportunity for the public to weigh in, and I would expect that there will be hearings with Public Comment Sections available for folks to weigh in on what they think about the mayor's appointment.
CATHY: All right, Matt Sepic, Nina Moini, thank you so much.
NINA MOINI: You're welcome.
MATT SEPIC: You're welcome.
Well now, just 10 days later, there's a new appointment to the position. Matt Sepic covered the announcement, that just wrapped up. He's in our Minneapolis Bureau. Nina Moini has been following changes in the Police Department. She joins us as well. So thanks to you both.
Matt, I'm going to start with you. Who is the nominee?
MATT SEPIC: He is Hennepin County Chief Judge Todd Barnette. Barnette has served for 17 years on the district court here in Hennepin County. He's been Chief Judge since 2020, and was the first person of color in that position. Before he joined the bench, back in 2006, he spent two years as a Prosecutor in the Hennepin County Attorney's Office, and prior to that, he was a Public Defender for more than a decade.
Barnette was Chief Judge during the trial of former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin. It was the first criminal trial that was broadcast and live-streamed in the County's history. Chauvin, of course, was convicted of murdering George Floyd after that 2021 trial.
CATHY: Was the judge at this news conference, this event, where he was unveiled?
MATT SEPIC: Yes. And he said he was confident that the city could reimagine public safety, and said he's excited about the prospect of leading that overhaul. He was asked why he wants the job, and Barnette said Mayor Frey asked him the same thing. Here is what Judge Barnette had to say, just a little while ago.
TODD BARNETTE: I think it would be comfortable to continue as a Judge in Hennepin County. It's something that I know, something that I've been doing for the last 17 years. But here I see this is an opportunity that has a commitment behind it, where it's just not taught anymore in Minneapolis, it's about action and moving things forward.
MATT SEPIC: And if confirmed, Barnette would come to the job at a time that the city is starting a court ordered oversight agreement with a State Judge, and also a similar federal consent decree, coming down the pike following a Justice Department investigation. Barnette was asked how he would address staffing shortages, a big issue in Minneapolis. And he immediately turned to Police Chief Brian O'Hara, and pledged to work with him on recruiting, Cathy.
CATHY: What did the mayor say about his choice?
MATT SEPIC: Well, Mayor Frey said, everyone they talked with in the community really emphasized that they wanted someone with managerial experience in big organizations, but who also had strong ties to the community, and strong relationships. The mayor said they had to revise the job description quote, substantially he didn't have that available right away, but said he would send it out and make that public.
The mayor also said he wanted someone to make sure there's good communication with the Community Safety Department. And here's what the mayor had to say.
JACOB FREY: We wanted to see someone that had a broad set of experience in safety, not specifically in policing, or fire, or violence prevention, but someone who truly saw the whole chessboard, and was able to fill in some of the gaps that we presently experience.
MATT SEPIC: And I should note, Cathy, that Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara himself is new on the job about a year. He was asked about Judge Barnett, and said he just met the judge when he first started as Chief, but learned of the appointment only a few minutes before the Mayor announced the pick to the public.
CATHY: By the way, for folks not familiar, what does the Public Safety Commissioner do in Minneapolis?
MATT SEPIC: Well, this person supervises the Police Chief, oversees the Department, also the Fire Department, the 911 Emergency Management, and violence prevention efforts, which are getting more attention as a way to curb crime.
CATHY: So that's an awful lot, obviously.
MATT SEPIC: Quite a bit, yeah.
CATHY: Thank you. I'm going to let you just stay over there for just a moment. I'm going to bring Nina here to the microphone, if that's OK. Nina, we should talk about Cedric Alexander here for a few minutes. He was the first public safety commissioner in Minneapolis. He left after about, gosh, a year on the job. How would you describe his tenure?
NINA MOINI: Well, hi Cathy. It's important to set the scene about how big of a responsibility this job really is. He oversees Police, Fire, violence prevention efforts. Big of a job, but he was making more than $330,000 a year, one of the highest paying positions in the city, certainly way more than Mayor Frey makes.
And Alexander did clash with some council members, who opposed his appointment from the start. And then he later clashed with some members of the public in these series of a high profile Twitter disputes with residents that did earn him a reprimand from the Mayor. And after that, we really heard less from him publicly.
Alexander was also charged with taking on this cross-jurisdictional crime response, called Operation Endeavor, which he launched last fall. And Minneapolis did see a significant drop in violent crime, like shootings and carjackings, compared to that same time frame in 2021. So the mayor has credited Alexander's work on that effort as being a significant reason for the drop in gun violence, and other violent crimes. And that's despite a shortage of officers. So some successes and some weaker areas, Cathy.
CATHY: So as Matt mentioned, Judge Barnette will be taking over during a time of immense change. Cedric Alexander did not have to oversee this consent decree with the State Department of Human Rights. So what role will the judge play in that? And the second question here, what does the community want from someone like Judge Barnette?
NINA MOINI: Well, Barnette is going to be a part of a big group of public safety stakeholders. But he has a big role, in that he is going to oversee the consent decree, and making sure the City Departments are working together, and are ultimately in compliance with these court enforceable agreements. So we're still waiting to hear from the DOJ on what they'll be requiring from the city after their investigation, but that will eventually also come into play.
And the city has had several of these community listening sessions, that were mandated as part of that court agreement. And I've been to some of them. And when I attended these sessions, a lot of people told me, Cathy, that they felt they were getting a lot of lip service from the city, and really doubted if even these court ordered changes would be enough to create significant change, where they feel it counts the most, which is between police and community relationships. So from this perspective, it may be helpful to have someone with deeper roots in the community, like Judge Barnette, and someone who's had a wider view of the Justice system from his time in the courts, of course.
CATHY: Versus Cedric Alexander.
NINA MOINI: Sure, right.
CATHY: I'm wondering what Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty thinks of this.
NINA MOINI: So she has at times clashed with different members, and different public officials, for some of the charging decisions that she's made, some people thinking that they're too light. So when it comes to working with the Police Department and the Courts, Hennepin County Attorney, Mary Moriarty, did release a statement, a few minutes ago, that says she's eager to work with Judge Barnette in this capacity. She called him someone who has, quote, "a clear commitment to community engagement, and who will be a strong leader."
And we're also going to be keeping an eye out, of course, for how various city council members feel about the appointment, there's 13 of them. Because, ultimately, they're the ones who will approve that appointment.
CATHY: I'm glad you brought that up, because I'm going to bring Matt Sepic in here too. So the council, Matt, will hold a vote, right?
MATT SEPIC: Yes, that has not been scheduled yet, as far as I know, but because it is a mayoral appointment, the City Council is the legislative body. They do have to sign off on this appointment before Judge Barnette can take over into the job officially.
CATHY: And I'm assuming, maybe I shouldn't, but there'll be a public hearing on this?
MATT SEPIC: Most likely, yes, there will be an opportunity for the public to weigh in, and I would expect that there will be hearings with Public Comment Sections available for folks to weigh in on what they think about the mayor's appointment.
CATHY: All right, Matt Sepic, Nina Moini, thank you so much.
NINA MOINI: You're welcome.
MATT SEPIC: You're welcome.
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