Minneapolis police chief nominee: Mayor Frey taps familiar face

Minneapolis mayor nominates police chief Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has nominated Interim Police Chief Bill Peterson to lead the Minneapolis Police Department permanently. FOX 9's Corin Hoggard has more.  The Brief Mayor Jacob Frey announced he is nominating Interim Chief Bill Peterson to become Minneapolis police chief permanently.Frey said 20 people applied, but he picked Peterson even after five city council members pushed for an outside candidate.Peterson said a new team he put together cleared 38 internal affairs cases involving more than 80 officers during his four months as interim chief, partially addressing one of the department’s biggest challenges. MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A familiar face to the community and to rank-and-file officers is now the mayor’s pick for Minneapolis police chief. Why Frey stayed in house for chief Mayor Jacob Frey’s choice comes with immediate pressure around distrust in the community, low staffing and some city council members who wanted an outsider to lead the department. Peterson also said he did not want the job when he was first appointed on an interim basis, but said a lot of people changed his mind. Local perspective: Peterson is a 30-year Minneapolis police veteran, and Frey said the candidate pool looked different from the last search when he chose Brian O’Hara. Frey said 20 people applied this time and many of them already worked inside the department. "The primary reason why is not having somebody guess at what has taken place over the last six years here," said Frey. "But somebody who’s lived it quite directly, who understands the both the progress that the Minneapolis Police Department has made and also a deep understanding that we also have a long way to go." Five council members told Frey they wanted an external candidate because they want a culture shift at the Minneapolis Police Department. Frey still chose Peterson. What's next: "I am honored by this nomination, and if confirmed, I’m all in," said Peterson. City Council still gets the final say on the nomination. Frey said he is confident Peterson will be confirmed. How Peterson says he is tackling key problems One of the bigger problems identified by outside auditors was a backlog of internal affairs cases. Some community leaders involved in the search told FOX 9 they were impressed that Peterson started addressing that issue as interim chief. By the numbers: Peterson said he established a new team and got through 38 cases involving more than 80 officers during his four months as interim chief. "That backlog isn’t fair to anyone. It’s not fair to the officers that are involved in the investigations. It’s certainly not fair to the complainants, it’s not fair to the community, and it’s one of those areas that, by working through that backlog, we are building that trust from community," said Peterson. What we don't know: City council doesn’t have a date for a vote on Peterson’s nomination. The members who wanted an external candidate also did not get back to FOX 9 with their thoughts. MPD chief search  Dig deeper: Minneapolis launched a national search for a new police chief following O'Hara's resignation earlier this year. The city was working with a national search firm, with initial review of applications starting in September, followed by interviews with the final candidates.  The city also held a series of community listening sessions hosted by city council members, allowing residents to take part in the process of selecting the next chief.  The Star Tribune reports that 19 law enforcement officers from across the country applied for the position, including six from MPD. However, the four finalists were all internal candidates, according to the Star Tribune.  The top candidates were interviewed by two different panels, one of community leaders including City Council President Andrea Jenkins and LaTonya Reeves, chair of the Community Commission on Police Oversight, and the other of public safety and law enforcement officials, including Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt and Sherral Schmidt, president of the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis.  The finalists were then interviewed by Mayor Frey and Minneapolis Public Safety Commissioner Todd Barnette and other city leaders.  The Source: Information in this story comes from a City of Minneapolis news release. This story also uses previous FOX 9 reporting on former chief Brian O'Hara's resignation and the city's search for the next police chief.  Minneapolis Police DepartmentMinneapolis