ST. JOSEPH -- The chief of the St. Joseph Police Department, Joel Klein has resigned as a result of a nearly two-month internal investigation.

Klein had been put on administrative leave on April 19, after complaints were made against him. The city council accepted his resignation at Monday night's meeting. Mayor Rick Schultz says the city cannot release the details around the investigation.

"The city cannot comment on the substance of the complaints, or the investigation report. The investigation is considered private data, under the Minnesota Data Practice Act."

As a result of the investigation, the city identified and will be addressing these areas of concern:

  • Workplace harassment training.
  • Whistleblower and retaliation policies.
  • A police audit system to ensure processes and procedures are being followed.

Schultz says the investigation has been tough on the police force.

"As we have a very tight-knit group, this ordeal has not been easy for our police department. St. Joseph is blessed with a great group of men and women who represent our police department professionally every day. They do a great job serving and protecting our city. I want to commend them and recognize their resiliency and spirit as we worked through this process."

Klein had been in the department since 2001 and chief since 2013.

The city will now start looking for a replacement for Klein. Sergeant Dwight Pfannenstein took over during the investigation and remains acting police chief.

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