Minneapolis officer reprimanded for speaking to press

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minneapolis police officer who spoke to GQ magazine after the death of George Floyd — criticizing the department for having what she called a toxic culture — has been reprimanded for speaking to the media without seeking permission.

Disciplinary records made public Friday show Colleen Ryan received a letter of reprimand on Dec. 2.

Ryan was an anonymous source in the June 10 article, but her name was made public in records released Friday under a court order that’s part of an ongoing human rights investigation into the department’s practices, the Star Tribune reported.

In his disciplinary decision, Chief Medaria Arradondo wrote that he’s responsible for providing clear expectations of what will and won’t be tolerated. He said Ryan should have sought permission to speak to the media from the department’s public information officer.

In the GQ article, Ryan was quoted under the pseudonym “Megan Jones.” She criticized what she described as a “toxic” culture that discourages officers from reporting colleagues’ bad behavior.

An investigation was begun after a tip to the department’s ethics hotline. Records show Ryan admitted to investigators that she was interviewed for the article and expressed regret for the “bad press the article generated for the Minneapolis Police Department.”

The department has been the focus of efforts to change policing and calls to defund or abolish law enforcement since the May 25 death of Floyd, a Black man who died after a white officer pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck as Floyd said he couldn’t breathe. Floyd’s death renewed calls for an end to police brutality and racial inequities, sparking protests in Minneapolis and beyond. The four officers were fired and face criminal charges.

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