MINNEAPOLIS – In his final push to lead the Minneapolis Police Department, interim Chief Bill Peterson promised elected officials he would act as a responsible steward of its budget, be transparent in his decision-making and demonstrate results.

The 31-year department veteran, nominated by Mayor Jacob Frey, acknowledged that his long tenure “raises a fair question” about whether someone who’s spent their entire career within an institution can effectively reform it.

“My answer is yes,” Peterson said during a City Council committee meeting on Wednesday, emphasizing his knowledge of both the agency’s strengths and shortcomings.

“I’m committed to building an MPD worthy of the authority entrusted to it,” he added. “Worthy of the resources the city invests in it. Worthy of the confidence of our communities. And worthy of the idealism that brings people into this profession.”

Peterson’s pitch came at the conclusion of a marathon public hearing about his appointment, during which 49 people testified, mostly in his favor. A diverse group of residents, business and religious leaders packed the council chambers to laud his depth of experience, professionalism and integrity.

Several noted that Peterson is always willing to listen and takes constructive criticism to heart.

“He makes no excuses. He accepts responsibility. He leads with purpose,” said Sherman Patterson, a retired Black U.S. Army veteran from north Minneapolis.

Peterson’s nomination comes at a pivotal moment for the department, which is under a court-ordered settlement agreement with the state to implement myriad reforms. To get confirmed, he will need the support of at least seven of the 13 council members.

However, the body appears divided. In late September, five progressive council members urged Frey to choose an outsider, saying the MPD has “exhibited a resistance to reform.”

Peterson has worked for the department since 1995, joining the agency when he was just 21 years old and steadily rising through the ranks. Former Chief Brian O’Hara was the first outsider to take the job since 2006. Frey tapped Peterson to lead the police department on an interim basis shortly after O’Hara resigned in May, amid findings that he interfered in an ongoing sexual misconduct investigation.

Following the public hearing, committee members grilled Peterson for nearly 45 minutes about his record and commitment to structural change.

Council Member Robin Wonsley again questioned the wisdom of elevating a leader from within, given the department’s history of discriminatory policing. She asked Peterson whether he’d ever witnessed racist or transphobic language by other officers on the job. He said he couldn’t recall hearing any.

“I find that highly unlikely,” Wonsley replied. “If that’s the case, how are we in a settlement agreement?”

One major point of contention involved an allegation lodged by Communities United Against Police Brutality (CUAPB), a police accountability group in Minneapolis, that Peterson was part of the corrupt Metro Gang Strike Force that imploded 17 years ago.

Michelle Gross, president of CUAPB, pointed to a 2009 lawsuit against the city and the unit, which named Peterson among more than a dozen defendants. Though it was later dismissed, the suit alleged excessive force during the service of a warrant, issued at the direction of the Gang Strike Force.

Under questioning from council members, Peterson denied ever serving on the disgraced unit.

“I have never in my career been part of Metro Gang Strike Force,” Peterson told the council committee. “Never.”

Council Member Jamison Whiting, a lawyer who previously worked in the city attorney’s office, probed deeper on the topic, seeking clarification about the discrepancy.

Peterson surmised that he may have helped execute a high-risk search warrant for a member of the task force when he worked in the department’s special operations division.

One of Peterson’s friends and retired colleagues, former Second Precinct Inspector Nick Torborg, a 32-year MPD veteran, also testified that Peterson never worked on the gang task force. If Peterson was named in a lawsuit against that unit, he said, it was because Peterson assisted them with a warrant while serving as a SWAT team member many years ago.

Torborg emphasized that Peterson has integrity, dedication and the hard-earned respect of officers, and said it would be “foolish” for the council to pass him up.

Prior to taking the interim role, Peterson served as the First Precinct Inspector, where he led policing downtown and in bordering neighborhoods since 2019. He served in leadership across several divisions, including the special operations division patrol unit, violent crimes investigations unit, robbery investigation and Fourth Precinct patrol.

Over the years, Peterson helped manage MPD’s response to several major tragedies, including the 2007 Interstate 35W bridge collapse, the 2011 tornado on the North Side, and civil unrest after police killings. He received a Medal of Valor for his response to a 2012 mass shooting at Accent Signage, where four people were killed.

At least eight misconduct complaints were lodged against him between 1999 and 2021, according to city records, and all of them were closed without discipline being imposed. Two additional complaints remain open.

Wonsley asked Peterson about those two open complaints, and he said he wasn’t even aware of them until a few weeks ago, but he has “little to no knowledge” about the nature of those allegations.

A long line of people testified in support of Peterson, including Tori Myslajek, fiancée of Minneapolis police officer Jamal Mitchell, who was slain in the line of duty in 2024. She took the podium with her two young children and broke down in tears while praising Peterson, unable to complete the remarks she’d prepared.

“He’s an amazing person and has been a huge support for our family,” she said, her hands shaking. “I encourage you guys to support him and make him our chief of police. He really deserves it — and our city deserves him.”

From the gallery, Peterson became emotional while listening to her speak. They embraced before she exited the chambers.

Minneapolis resident Lori Mittag told the committee she knows many of them would prefer an external candidate, but argued that pursuing one would be a “waste of time and money — of which you have neither.”

Peterson wants the job, she said, is an “unflappable leader,” and committed to instituting the police reforms city leaders expect.

“[For] anyone else, the learning curve would be so high and extremely costly,” Mittag said. “You have your guy and he’s right under your nose.”

Committee members agreed to forward his nomination without recommendation to the full Council, which will resume vetting Peterson during its Nov. 12 meeting.

The body is expected to hold a final vote on his appointment that day.

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