Minneapolis narrows contenders for next police chief to 3 outsiders

The city of Minneapolis has narrowed its field of potential police chiefs to three — all of them from out of state. Mayor Jacob Frey announced the finalists Wednesday.

The police chief contenders include Elvin Carren, a former Detroit cop and chief of police in Southfield, Michigan; Charlottesville, Virginia police chief RaShall Brackney; and Brian O'Hara, a deputy mayor in Newark, New Jersey who oversees police and public safety.

Interim chief Amelia Huffman, who has been with the department since 1994, was not on the list.

Minneapolis has hired chiefs from outside the department at least three times in recent decades, including Tony Bouza, from New York City; William McManus, from Dayton, Ohio; and Robert Olson, who had headed police departments in New York and Texas.

Frey said he and community safety commissioner Cedric Alexander will interview the finalists in coming weeks and make a selection for final approval by the city council.