Minnesota

Huffman (current interim chief, also being considered for permanent role) introduced three of the appointees at the January news conference. She left six appointees out of the announcement, including Garman and three others who appear to have run afoul of the department on several occasions.

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Garman was fired by then-Police Chief Tim Dolan in 2009 for his role in a case involving the Metro Gang Strike Force, a unit of metro-area officers that was shut down after revelations of misconduct, including mistreatment of people of color and officers keeping confiscated property for their personal use.

Garman's termination involved a drug house raid in which he and three other Strike Force officers found narcotics and seized at least three cellphones. A fourth Minneapolis officer on the unit involved in the case used the phones.

An internal department investigation found that Garman and two other officers had helped cover up the cellphone use, according to sources at the time.

Garman's termination was headed for arbitration in 2010 when the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis brokered a deal with the department allowing him to receive back pay for all but 30 hours of the seven months he was off MPD's rolls, according to John Delmonico, then president of the federation.

Dolan never disclosed why he rescinded Garman's termination, and Garman has been an influential figure within the Police Federation, where he has served as the union's treasurer and vice president.

He also was named in a 2009 lawsuit over the Strike Force's raid of a house in south Minneapolis after he had allegedly applied for a search warrant. According to the suit, up to 20 officers broke windows, ordered two women to the floor at gunpoint, repeatedly used expletives, destroyed personal property and damaged walls and ceilings.

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Among the promotions Huffman announced last month was Robert Berry, who was named Third Precinct dogwatch lieutenant. In 2007, Berry was fired for ethical violations, including failure to notify authorities about the misconduct of another officer who was driving drunk.

Berry, who was also barhopping, was reinstated by order of an arbitrator who ruled that he had not been on duty at the time of the incident as department officials had alleged. Berry's termination was reduced to a 40 hour suspension without pay.

In 2019, he was suspended for 60 hours without pay for his 2017 conviction of misdemeanor domestic assault in Hastings. A court placed him on probation for one year, according to a document from the Minneapolis Office of Police Conduct Review and a notice of discipline signed by Arradondo.