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Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo highlighted the aspects of a union contract that protects members of his department who have been fired or disciplined for misconduct during an interview set to air in full on Sunday night.
Speaking to CBS 60 Minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl, Arradondo urged leadership governing the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis to cease what has been an ongoing public defense of individuals involved in George Floyd's death in custody on May 25.
Earlier this month, the union's president, Lt. Bob Kroll, commended Minneapolis law enforcement for their roles in protests that took place across the city in the aftermath of Floyd's passing and called Black Lives Matter "a terrorist organization."
"He and others are going to have to come to a reckoning that either they're going to be on the right side of history, or they're going to be on the wrong side of history. Or they will be left behind," Arradondo told Stahl in a clip from the upcoming interview, which CBS released on Friday.
As four former Minneapolis police officers await trial for their roles in Floyd's death, opportunities exist for them to regain their positions within the Minneapolis Police Department, or at least have their cases heard, through arbitration. The ex-officers --Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao -- were arrested after a video that showed Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes as he fell unconscious sparked public outrage.
Chauvin faces second-degree murder and manslaughter charges, and the others face charges of aiding and abetting.
"If we even have one who is allowed to come back, that sets us back," Arradondo said of the mediation process, according to CBS.
As the Star Tribune reported, about 80 police officers across Minnesota disputed their discharges in arbitration over the last two decades, and roughly half regained employment.
Kroll suggested the Minneapolis Police Department's decision to fire Chauvin, Lane, Kueng and Thao was unjust in an email sent to union members after the first week of demonstrations.
"I've worked with the four defense attorneys that are representing each of our four terminated individuals under criminal investigation, in addition with our lab or attorneys to fight for their jobs. They were terminated without due process," he wrote, after insinuating news organizations were covering up "the violent criminal history of George Floyd."
Former Minneapolis Police Chief Janeé Harteau shared Kroll's email to Twitter on June 1. In a message alongside screenshots of the correspondence, Harteau said Kroll was "a disgrace to the badge" and encouraged him to turn in his credentials.
Newsweek reached out to the Minneapolis Police Department for additional comments but did not hear back in time for publication. The Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis' website and Facebook account were both disabled as of Sunday morning. Attempts to contact the union were unsuccessful.
