Brooklyn Park likely to name first black chief

A Minneapolis police lieutenant looks like the favorite for the job. The council will make the decision next week.

By JIM ADAMS, Star Tribune

Last update: January 23, 2008 - 10:03 PM

Brooklyn Park is close to selecting its first black police chief.

City Council members meet next week to consider a recommendation to appoint Minneapolis Lt. Michael Davis to the post.

City Manager Doug Reeder said he told the council at a workshop Tuesday night that he is recommending Davis, a 14-year veteran in Minneapolis, over two other finalists. The others are Bloomington Cmdr. Jeff Potts and Elk River Police Chief Jeff Beahen. Council members expressed no concerns about appointing Davis, Reeder said.

"From all the aspects we looked at he was the best," Reeder said Wednesday. "We are happy to have him."

Reeder noted that Brooklyn Park has an increasing minority population, about 30 percent of its 72,000 residents. However, Reeder added: "I don't think race is an issue. He was picked for his ability to do the job and manage the department."

Brooklyn Park, the sixth-largest city in the state, will have 99 officers by next month. If the City Council confirms his appointment, Davis will assume his $110,000-a-year job on Feb. 11.

Davis, 36, a sector commander supervising about 35 officers in south Minneapolis, couldn't be reached. He would be the second black person to be a suburban chief in the Twin Cities. The first was Trevor Hampton, who served less than a year in 1993-94 in neighboring Brooklyn Center.

Davis would replace former chief Wade Setter, who retired in August.

Davis has worked various jobs on the Minneapolis force, including in the Phillips neighborhood, which has crime similar to that in some parts of Brooklyn Park, Reeder said. He said the fact that Davis and his family have lived Brooklyn Park for more than a decade also was a plus. He noted Davis also is a member of the city's Charter Commission, which can recommend changes to the city's operating rules and government structure.

Davis, who has master's and bachelor's degrees from Concordia University in St. Paul, was selected from 45 applicants in a nationwide search, said city spokeswoman Mary Tan. The five semifinalists also included an Omaha deputy chief and Mounds View Police Chief Mike Sommer.

The only other black men to be full-time chiefs in the state served in St. Paul: current chief John Harrington and his predecessor, William Finney, according to the Star Tribune archive and two longtime police officials. There also was a black sheriff, John Lyght, in Cook County for 22 years until 1994.

Jim Adams • 612-673-7658