Mayor Blocks Chief’s Command Choice in Difficult Precinct

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- The mayor of Minneapolis has blocked the police chief's
choice for leading a precinct that includes some of the city's most violent
neighborhoods.

The Fourth Precinct was also the stage for a long-running protest over the police shooting of Jamar Clark in 2015.

Mayor Betsy Hodges has overruled Chief Janee Harteau's appointment of Lt. John
Demonico for the senior command position. In a statement Wednesday, Hodges said
``another kind of leadership'' was needed for the precinct to further build
trust between police and the community.

City code gives the mayor the power to make personnel decisions. Delmonico was
president of the Minneapolis Police Federation, which represents the city's 850
officers, from 1999 to 2015.