Brooklyn Center Police Chief says family, not politics, was behind his decision to retire
Brooklyn Center Police Chief Keleth McDaniel will retire on January 31st, about a year and a half after taking the job. McDaniel was appointed chief in June 2022, replacing former police chief Tim Gannon, who resigned just two days after Dante Wright was killed by former police officer Kim Potter.
McDaniel said she took the job at a pivotal time because she wanted to help support healing in the community.
“I’m a kind of healer…I listen to people and see what they need and what they want,” he said. “I think that helped with the healing process.”
McDaniel said her decision to display the badge came after a trip to Montana last month.
“And I thought, ‘You know, in February I’ll be 57 years old.’ I have nearly 25 years of experience in law enforcement. I have beautiful children and grandchildren. “Maybe now is the time to retire,” McDaniel said. “Family means a lot to me. So I just want the opportunity to grow up with my young grandchildren and my son.”
McDaniel denied rumors that city-level politics had anything to do with his resignation.
“All I can say about politics is that in law enforcement you get it no matter what. You basically have to have tough skin when it comes to any kind of decision-making. “The problem is that we can’t necessarily agree on certain things,” he said. “The reason is that politics was not my main objective.”
He said his proudest accomplishment was in the recruiting department, where he swore in more than a dozen officers within the last year. Currently, the department has 48 certified employees, of which 39 are sworn employees. City officials said in a news release that McDaniel “was instrumental in rebuilding the Police Department’s patrol division as well as maintaining the support staff necessary to carry out the city’s mission.”
“So we established a recruiting group and it’s been pretty helpful. I mean, people are investing in good officers, quality officers,” the chief said.
Prior to joining the department, Mr. McDaniel was a deputy with the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, where he oversaw the Court Services Division and supervised 57 deputies. McDaniel’s experience spans a variety of specialized law enforcement areas, including community engagement, homeland security, investigations, mobile field force court operations, narcotics, and the Violent Offender Task Force.
“I want to be remembered as someone who helped bring people together. I want people to know that my integrity is strong and that I am literally moral, ethical and professional. ,” McDaniel said.
Currently, the city has not yet begun the search process for a new police chief. McDaniel said he intends to participate once the process begins.
“If you can do anything to help build trust and relationships with the community and the police department, then you are definitely the right person for this job,” McDaniel said.
