A retired Minnesota police chief is speaking out on the failure of “progressive policies” after his son was assaulted in downtown Minneapolis Friday night.
Scott Nadeau served as the chief of police in both Maplewood and Columbia Heights during his 30-year law enforcement career.
He revealed in a viral Facebook post over the weekend that his son, Jack, was assaulted outside of a bar in downtown Minneapolis Friday night.
“A suspect grabbed his phone while he was using it outside a bar, and when my son went to get the phone back he was punched and beaten. He is currently in the hospital with a broken sinus, skull fractures, and bleeding on the brain. As usual there are no suspects in custody that we are aware of,” Nadeau said.
The retired cop said he has been an advocate for reform in the police profession, even winning awards for this work, but now wonders if the “message of diversity, equality and inclusion” has been used as an “excuse for violent and criminal behavior.”
“Like many of you, this was not personal until I watched my son trying to breathe, his jaw broken, his brain swollen and bleeding, us wondering what long-term effects he would have, because he tried to hold onto his phone,” Nadeau said.
“If people tell you [downtown Minneapolis] is safe they are lying or incredibly uninformed. If you blame my son for being downtown on a Friday night I invite you to think about how this was not a question five years ago,” he added.
He said the State Patrol officers who are helping in Minneapolis are only a “token substitute for what is missing.”
“Minneapolis is down hundreds of officers and the few that remain do not feel supported to do their jobs in a politically volatile situation,” he said.
Nadeau told Alpha News his son was taken by ambulance to Hennepin County Medical Center and doesn’t remember much from the incident. He was discharged Sunday night and will have to spend the next two weeks resting in a dark room. The family is optimistic that Jack will make a full recovery, but they don’t know yet if there are any permanent injuries.
The suspect also took Jack’s credit card and ID, since they were attached to his phone.
Nadeau said he reported the incident the following day and was told “this happens every night here.”
“These progressive policies aren’t working,” he told Alpha News. “Police are handcuffed. They won’t engage with a group. They don’t want to be the next YouTube sensation. Offenders are let out again and again.”
Nadeau came out of retirement last September to serve as the interim police chief of Golden Valley. He resigned from that position in March after the mayor accused police of creating a “toxic culture of hostility, intimidation, paternalism and, unfortunately, racism.”
As of early July, the Golden Valley Police Department was down to 20 sworn officers on staff, with two on leave. The department has a sworn capacity of 31.
“What’s happened in that city is shameful,” said Nadeau.
Anthony Gockowski
Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and wrote for the Daily Caller.
