Police Chief Tim DolanMinneapolis Police Chief Tim Dolan has announced plans to step down from his job at the end of the year, wrapping up a 29-year career with the city’s police department.
Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak today said that Dolan made it clear to him when he was reappointed that he only wanted to do one more term.
“He came in at the middle of a crime wave,” said Rybak of Dolan, and he went right to work to decrease youth violence and crimes involving illegal handguns, resulting in a “historic decrease in crime.”
The mayor declined to comment on whether he plans a nationwide search for Dolan’s replacement but said he would be “commenting on the future leadership of the police department soon.”
Dolan has been praised for his careful budget monitoring, which produced department savings of $1.2 million last year. Rybak credited the chief for working with the city’s chief financial officer, Kevin Carpenter, and taking “hands-on control” of the budget.
Rybak first nominated Dolan to serve as interim chief in 2006 and appointed him chief in 2007. Before that, Dolan served as a deputy chief and was an inspector and commander of the 4th Precinct in North Minneapolis, where he grew up.
“We are two kids who grew up in a city we loved, and we both got to do jobs we loved,” said Rybak, noting that the chief worked hard to protect city neighborhoods and give other kids “a safe place to grow.”
Two Cities blog, which covers Minneapolis and St. Paul City Halls, is made possible in part by grants from The Saint Paul Foundation and the Carolyn Foundation.