Minneapolis SWAT Officers With History of Misconduct Expected Preferential Treatment From Green Bay Cops After Street Scuffle
Two off-duty Minneapolis cops got into an altercation in Green Bay and were not pleased the local cops wouldn't automatically take their side. From the Minneapolis Star-Tribune:
According to the [police] report: [Shawn] Powell and [Brian] Thole said they had gone out drinking when they passed a group of nine black men on the sidewalk shortly after 1 a.m. One of them bumped into one of the officers, who then traded words with the group. One of the black men then approached the officers with his chest puffed out and more words were spoken. Saying he feared for his safety, one of the Minneapolis officers punched the man in the face.
Several Green Bay officers responded to the confrontation in downtown Green Bay. The Minneapolis officers were agitated and complained that the local police weren't doing enough to find the men involved in the confrontation.
"We're police officers," one said. "I punched him in the face and I will do it again."
One of the Minneapolis officers said the men involved in the altercation "were doing their monkey thing."
A Green Bay police officer reported afterward that the Minneapolis cops "expected preferential treatment" and had pointed out "several times that they were full-time SWAT officers." The Minneapolis officers were told to go back to their hotel, but as they left they told Green Bay police officers to [expletive] off and gave one of them the finger.
The two Minneapolis cops didn't want Green Bay police taking their names to use in the police report either, claiming that their lesbian police chief was looking for any reason to fire cops. The two were warned if anyone were arrested it would be them, for disorderly conduct, which set them off about their "First Amendment rights." One of the Green Bay cops said he was concerned the two would become violent.
Both Minneapolis cops are being sued separately for misconduct; Thole participated in a no-knock raid last year while Powell was one of several officers involved in a fatal 2009 police shooting. Both of those cases are in litigation. Powell was also involved in the beating of Derryl Jenkins, which was settled for $235,000. In April, the leader of their SWAT team was convicted of assault.
Thole and Powell have now reportedly been removed from the SWAT team and put on vacation suspended with pay.
