And I'm, I'm curious from an internal organization perspective, did you have, you know, a public information officer? Did you have some comms team support? And, um, Is there anything you do differently, you know, relating to pushing external communications or, you know, what did you do with that?

Well, I had, um, very consistently, I had a Sergeant that was with me, um, who was assigned as a public information officer and had some other folks that were kind of in and out along the way.

Um, and he's still there and he's a workhorse and he is incredible.

He's very, very thoughtful, very, very smart and accurate with getting information, and he is willing to work around the clock.

But it's still overwhelming.

The amount of requests that that organization gets, the amount of attention on it is very much overwhelming.

And it's also really, really critical to be accurate.

And

So what was your sort of job one coming in there? I

think for the situation that it was in, you sort of had to get back to the very, very basics of what the mission is.

and the very, very basics of why we are doing this work in the first place.

I think the officers themselves had lost their sense of purpose.

Everything that they had dedicated, in some cases, 30 plus years of their professional lives, all of the stories that they had been telling themselves about public service and how good the organization was, overnight that was completely taken away.

And that was very, very difficult for people to live through.

And as you mentioned, they had just lived through a majority of the city council vowing to disband the agency.

Did you bring anybody along or were you just doing it yourself?

Yeah

... yeah.

Um, your black wood grain, and I think that'll look, it'll, it will look really slick.

Um, but aluminum's incredibly, incredibly versatile in that you can powder coat it, you can sublimate it, you can anodize it.

And how we do the wood finish, so we use a, a powder-coated base coat.

Uh, and then what we do is, um, we take a, a specialized film that has the pattern or the ink on it, and we vacuum wrap the aluminum profile, suck the air out of it.

Uh, and, uh, the, it's a heat transfer process, so we transfer the, the wood grain from that film into the powder-coated layer, and then we strip off the film, and you've got a permanent wood grain finish on the aluminum profile then.

Yeah

But what was your sense?

Well, one thing I think is very interesting is I had several seasoned officers who have a lot of respect for.

I got to know over the years and just have a tremendous respect for.

They are among the best people I have ever known in this profession, and they've been serving Minneapolis for decades, and the city's lucky to still have them.

They told me the same thing that many people in the community told me, which is that of the hundreds of officers that left, a lot of them needed to go.

So that's the impression both that a lot of the officers had as well as people in the community who were affected by policing.

So that was one positive effect, if you will, towards changing culture.

What was it like being chief and having to work with community to navigate all of this, to protect community members, but also to do the lawful work around what you needed to do for the federal government, et cetera? What was the dynamic there?

I know this is difficult to to ask you to summarize from all of these different perspectives, but how are consent decrees? Is there a general consensus about them in sort of the police leadership ranks? How was the consent decree seen in within the Newark Police Department? And then also as Minneapolis sort of starts to head towards that, how is it seen there?

I would say in policing in general, especially over the last couple of years, the pendulum has swung to the right.

There's a very strong feeling that consent decrees are exorbitantly expensive and not worth it, and that monitors are out more for padding their pockets than they actually are about implementing change.

So I think that's a broad generalization, but I think that's generally true in policing circles where the country is today.

I don't think that was necessarily the case a few years ago, but obviously, you know, politics and things kind of influence that.

I would say in Newark, I just remember the massive amount of resistance when I was first appointed to try and implement the thing.

Anytime we were trying to implement any kind of changes, right? I remember we implemented a requirement that you had to fill out a form and report whenever an officer pointed their firearm at someone.

To what do you attribute this success?

Um, it is a question though, right? Of, you know, that harvest efficiency part that, you know, when, I guess, is something like FH, FH twenty herbicide, um, how does it make it more efficient? When does a, a farmer choose to use it?

Those are great questions.

Um, you know, twenty twenty-six started out pretty rocky across Western Canada.

Um, it was cold.

It was, it was dry in a lot of areas.

Uh, some areas were too wet, so, um, getting the crop in was tough and, and germination was really, really uneven.

Um, so trying to increase your efficiency at harvest time, this is the perfect year.

Now, but it, it also brings up the question of, you mentioned, like green stems or late flushing weeds, um, how do we know when the crop is ready for a pass like this? Because there are some considerations.

Um, it is a question though, right? Of, you know, that harvest efficiency part that, you know, when, I guess, is something like FH, FH twenty herbicide, uh, how does it make it more efficient? When does a, a farmer choose to use it?

Those are great questions.

Um, you know, twenty twenty-six started out pretty rocky across Western Canada.

Um, it was cold.

It was, it was dry in a lot of areas.

Uh, some areas were too wet, so, um, getting the crop in was tough and, and germination was really, really uneven.

Um, so trying to increase your efficiency at harvest time, this is the perfect year.

Um, how do we know when the crop is ready for a pass like this? Because there are some considerations.

Uh, why Precision Pack? What does it offer that maybe some other options don't?

Um, so there's, there's a lot of benefits to it.

So Precision Pack PF150 herbicide gives you everything you're looking for in a, in a fall herbicide.

It's gonna control your key winter annual weeds like narrowleaf hawksbeard, flaxweed, uh, volunteer canola, just to name a few, while also providing extended residual control into the spring.

Um, we are seeing less rain typically in the spring, so trying to get some of these residual products activated is, is tougher.

So by putting them down in the fall, you know, we're gonna get snow at some point during the, the winter, so this will make sure that they're, they're ready to go for when the weeds do come in the spring.

And, you know, by having that burndown, uh, product mixed in with it, you're, you're getting both immediate burndown and season-long control just from one application.

How does that fit into choosing a Precision Pack?

What's the idea behind Growmia and what do you do?

Yeah, so thanks, PJ.

Thanks for putting me on.

I guess, you know, this all started back in February.

My wife, Naomi, she suggested that we just do some raised beds for our back garden down in Garry Bow or down in East Cork.

And yeah, we really just wanted to start growing some of our own organic produce.

I suppose drawing a little bit of inspiration from from Ballymanoo, who's just up the road.

So, did you start with veg or did you start with flowers?

What's the idea behind Growmia and what do you do?

Yeah, so thanks, PJ.

Thanks for having me on.

I guess, you know, this all started back in February.

My wife, Naomi...

She suggested that we just do some raised beds for our back garden down in Garry Bow or down in East Cork.

And yeah, we really just wanted to start growing some of our own organic produce.

So did you start with veg or did you start with flowers?

Is there any benefit by comparison to your operation versus federal law enforcement officers? And again, I'm not trying to gloat over the lack of trust that these federal officers have incurred with your city, but has by basis of comparison, the efforts that you've made to improve the department stood out by contrast in a positive way?

Well, I think it has in some ways.

And I think that's not necessarily because of what has happened during the surge.

It's because of all of the effort that we put in prior to the surge.

It's because of the renewed training that we have, the emphasis on de-escalation, the outreach to people in the community to be a part of our new policies, our new training, our reform process, to engage with community stakeholders.

I think we had earned some trust before this, but I'm not naive enough to think that there aren't plenty of people that still perceive us in a different way.

The biggest challenge that we've had throughout all of this is we can't please everybody.

So what do those experiences teach you about the relationship between federal and state governments when it comes to law enforcement?

Can you please outline all measures within your power to ensure safe passage of children to and from school each day?

So thank you.

Um, you know, I, I recognize the concerns that are raised with the child from your district.

I can tell you, in the Minneapolis Police Department, our number one priority whenever we are involved in an arrest situation where there is a, a dependent child present, that we wanna do everything possible to ensure that we are not traumatizing that child, and doing everything we can to maintain their health and welfare.

Um, you know, this is a real issue for us, not just because of what's been going on.

We're only a few months removed, where we had a gunman shoot over 100 rounds at children play- praying in a church the first week of school.

So we've been doing everything possible to try and remain in contact, uh, with schools and houses of worship in our city, and to try and ensure that people do feel safe.

So do you speak on that, please?

But from what you have seen in the public space and heard from federal officials, is there any evidence that you know of that Preti was assaulting the federal officers as the Border Patrol chief claims?

Well, I've seen the videos just as thousands of people around the country have, and the videos speak for themselves.

I think it's deeply concerning the things that are being said.

This is an individual that was a city resident.

It appears that he was present exercising his First Amendment rights to record law enforcement activity and also exercising his Second Amendment rights to lawfully be armed in a public space in the city.

So I think very obviously there are serious questions that are being raised.

And I think the greater issue is even if there is an investigation that ultimately proves that at the time of the shooting it was legally justified.

What do you mean it doesn't matter at this point? You mean the situation on the ground is already, the impression is left?

Where do you see this going? What are you seeing out on the streets?

Yeah.

Well, I've said for several weeks, uh, that my concern has been that a tragedy would happen, and that's already passed.

We've lost a human life.

Uh, and as time continues to go on now, it appears that the pressure just continues to build, and my concern is that we are heading to a point, uh, that can be very explosive.

Um, you know, the, these instances that you mentioned, obviously with the five-year-old child, and I don't know what their training or policies are, but at least best practices in local policing is, number one, the safety of the child that young, and number two, trying to do everything that you can so as to not re-traumatize or traumatize that child.

The other, uh, arrest that you mentioned with the woman in her car, um, obviously to anyone who watches it, uh, is clearly just a lot of confusion and chaos on the scene.

I mean, it sounds like you would need to talk to those officers about their tactics.

The investigation is ongoing, but in your professional opinion, was the ICE officer following best practices in terms of tactics, tactics, and training in that interaction?

I tell you, um, i- in the most basic sense, conducting traffic stops, the training has been, for many years in this country, that the best practices are to, number one, never put yourself in the path of a vehicle, and number two, to try and de-escalate as, as much as possible.

And there's very simple things that an officer does to de-escalate situations in traffic stops, and that is introducing yourself, telling the individual your name, your rank, the agency that you work for, explaining why you are conducting the stop, answering any questions that the person asks.

I didn't see any of that happening.

Um, a- and also, I, I...

It's not clear to me if the agents that were there understood what each other was trying to accomplish there.

You had one person saying to get out of the car.

The Trump administration says they're breaking the law, but from your perspective, as the chief of police, do these individuals have the right to do what they're doing?

Mm-hmm.

We just, we quickly ran in to back the crowd out to get a path for the police car to come out.

And I think because we did that, I think that may have contributed to emboldening an already unruly crowd, and we very quickly called in well over 200 additional police officers, and then ultimately we wound up placing, uh, 30 people under arrest for unlawful assembly a- and releasing them.

It's been very taxing for all members of the police department, and this is a situation that has been building up for several weeks.

A lot of the disturbances and chaos that's been happening here as a result of the manner in which some federal enforcement activity is happening is requiring our officers to respond and step into situations and try and restore the peace, where oftentimes they themselves then become the target of people's frustration.

So in, in, in your mind, was this planned deployment, specifically of ICE agents that the president asked for, was it warranted?

I mean, there have been immigration enforcement conducted in Minnesota as long as there has been ICE.

I think the problem is what gets lost in this is it's not necessarily about which laws are being enforced.

Chief, what's your reaction to the Homeland Security Secretary's claims and also just the assertion that the officer feared for his life?

Well, I got to tell you, as a matter of policy and training amongst professional police departments for many, many years in this country, We have an obligation to ensure, particularly during traffic stops, that our officers are doing everything possible so that we don't unnecessarily put their lives in jeopardy, so that our officers are not unnecessarily creating a risk of imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury, either to themselves or others.

And that means that they have to employ sound tactics and must be proportional in what they do.

That being said, it's not always 100%.

Law enforcement officers cannot control the actions of other people and that's why a full and thorough investigation in every case where there is a use of force is necessary.

I will be the first one to stand up for my cops when a situation happens And it is abundantly clear that there's no indication to to think that an officer could have possibly done anything else.

I'll be the first one to stand up and say my cop put their lives on the line and they did what they have to do.

Thank you so much.

Yeah.

Um, good evening.

Uh, unfortunately, um, I do not.

Uh, I still have just the same basic information that I had earlier today, um, and, you know, ear- earlier yesterday, I guess it is at this point.

Um, but I would echo, uh, a lot of what our senator, uh, just mentioned.

Um, you know, I, I, I think, uh, I just, I just spoke on the phone, uh, with the Portland police chief.

Um, you know, the day before this happened, I had said, as I had said repeatedly, um, that these are...

There's a good chance they may not have?

From what you have seen in these videos, do you believe the use of deadly force was warranted?

Well, I think that is a question that ultimately must be answered through a thorough and complete investigation.

And that's why I think we owe it not just to the deceased and her family, but also to the larger community to ensure that number one, we maintained that scene yesterday so that it could be processed and that we can allow a full investigation to follow the evidence to all of its logical conclusion.

That being said, in law enforcement, professionally, it is very concerning when we have officers that are placed into situations which may result in the use of deadly force.

And we must ensure that our officers are doing everything possible to avoid placing officers' lives in jeopardy unnecessarily and trying to de-escalate whenever possible.

Was it appropriate to turn down that man's offer to help medically?

Well, I am not aware of that specific incident and I cannot speculate, but what I can tell you, at least through our policy, our training here in Minneapolis, our number one priority is the preservation of life.

Our number one priority in everything that we do.

What is their posture this evening?

So we've had a few thousand protesters that we believe remain in the city in at least three different locations.

We have canceled days off for all of our police officers and recalled personnel and have asked for mutual aid from the Minnesota State Patrol and Hennepin County Sheriff's Office.

You know, our officers responded very quickly and did everything they could to deescalate the situation.

And they have performed I'm very proud of how they have performed, very heroically.

But I think the issue remains going forward that whenever our officers have to be injected into this type of situation, we will see what happened in some cases today, and that's they then become the point of people's frustration and vitriol over what has happened.

Is that the same information you have? And what can you tell us about those?

I don't have any specific information on any other vehicle accidents in the city.

How do you square that warning with what unfolded?

Well, um, you know, unfortunately, the reality of conducting law enforcement, uh, is every time our police officers leave the station and go out into the street, there is risk, uh, that something tragic can happen.

Um, and we know, uh, very clearly as we, I have been saying for several weeks, is there is a very heightened risk, uh, when activity is being conducted, enforcement activity is being conducted on the street when, uh, you know, situations are very tense and things are very emotionally charged.

Um-And so, that's why I just think it's very important, uh, that we ensure that an investigation occur transparenc- transparently.

I think we owe that, uh, to the deceased person and their family, uh, as well as to the community who clearly, um, you know, have been, uh, very concerned and there's just been a lot of questions.

Uh, not so much specifically about, um, whether or not federal law enforcement, uh, federal laws are enforced, but more specifically, how that enforcement is being conducted.

What- what's the plan for how you intend to handle protests and demonstrations, uh, in the days ahead?

Well, our officers have been doing an incredible job day and night around the clock, and it's been heightened for the last several weeks.

Have, have you seen these videos, Chief? What do you make of them?

I know there's several, uh, videos that are online.

I have seen, um, at least one of those videos.

Um, and I know it has been, uh, very alarming to a lot of people in the community.

Thi- this is a tragedy.

Um, I think there's, there's no, there's no ways about this.

Any time a person's life is lost, it is tragic.

Brian O'Hara, would you respond to that? Has ICE been helping or hindering your officers in trying to keep your city safe?

So from what you know about the tactics, because we've seen, you know, the immigration tactics in other cities, from what you know, what's your take on them, the way that the immigration enforcement is taking place?

Well, I know the impact that it's having on our residents.

I know the impact that it's having on American citizens specifically.

I have been in the community each of the last several days around the Somali community and the lake street corridor which is kind of hub of immigrant activity in the city and people are scared american citizens have literally shown me their passport to say that they're carrying it they've expressed fear for their children who were born in the u.s you know just afraid that they might get uh you know mistaken uh for someone who's not here legally um and it's just uh you know it is uh It's tough as a human being to hear these concerns that are so just terrorized people, really.

People are afraid to go to church, literally.

I've heard from plenty of pastors about that.

I've heard from our business owners in the city that they've lost business.

So tell me about that, what that's been like for those Somali migrants who are here legally, who are police officers in this position.