Chief Rondo

Upon the fifth anniversary of the murder of George Floyd comes a landmark book on leadership, justice, and race by the first Black police chief in the history of the Minneapolis Police Department, the man who led through and beyond the crime, the historic protest movement, and the nationwide reckoning on race and policing

On May 25, 2020, at a neighborhood convenience store, George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police. In the weeks that followed, the city and the entire nation erupted with the most destructive and costly civil unrest in the United States since the Los Angeles riots 28 years earlier. Standing steadfast in the middle was Medaria “Rondo” Arradondo, the first Black police chief in the 152-year history of the Minneapolis Police Department.

Growing up in Minneapolis, Rondo understood from an early age that while police could be heroes, they could also be threats, especially to Black men like himself. When he became an officer, his purpose was clear: he would serve the loving community that raised him and would always treat others with dignity and respect, no matter the color of their skin. In 2020 when Chief Rondo found himself at the helm of a troubled department facing a national crisis, he put accountability first. Instead of walking the line between Black and Blue, he drew a line between right and wrong.

Chief Rondo is a first-hand account of these pivotal events, offering new insights into his leadership and the broader impact on American policing. He reveals the challenges of working within a flawed system and provides inspiration for all leaders.

Chief Rondo’s decisive and courageous actions led to one of the greatest social justice victories in our time: the State and Federal convictions of Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng, and Tou Thao, who were responsible for George Floyd’s murder, challenging the "blue wall” that shielded police from accountability. It was an outcome so rare that Chauvin is one of just eleven non-Federal officers convicted of murder out of the 13,000 on-duty killings since 2005.