Golden Valley Police Chief Virgil Green has resigned. Green, who joined the department in 2022, had been on administrative leave since May as two investigations into allegations against him were conducted.
Announcing the departure on Friday, Golden Valley City Manager Noah Schuchman said “Chief Green joined us at a critical time, and we thank him for all he did for the City of Golden Valley, its police force and the community in his time here. We will be sharing details regarding the search for a new Chief of Police soon.”
In May, the city placed Green on administrative leave as it investigated two allegations against him. The first allegation was that Green unlawfully shared law enforcement body-camera footage. The second allegation was that Green interfered in an internal police investigation; the nature of the internal investigation was not disclosed.
A law firm investigating both allegations found that Green had improperly shared the body-camera footage in question and interfered in the unspecified internal investigation.
Alpha News contacted Green for this story but did not hear back. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Golden Valley referred Alpha News to the city’s press release on the matter and said “The City respects Mr. Green’s privacy and wishes him the best.”
In an interview with KSTP, Green said he did not interfere with the internal investigation and said that releasing the body-camera footage was in the best interest of public safety.
Green has been a law enforcement officer for decades. He previously worked for the Lea County Sheriff’s Department in New Mexico, served as a patrol officer for the Oklahoma City Housing Authority, and was the chief of police in Boley, Okla.; Spencer, Okla.; and Helena-West Helena, Ark.
Alpha News was the first to report that Green previously sued two of his former employers for discrimination and had been placed on administrative leave and was later fired by the City of Spencer, Okla.
According to Golden Valley, the Golden Valley Police Department will be co-led by Assistant Chiefs Alice White and Rudy Perez as the city looks for another police chief. White and Perez have led the department since Green was first placed on administrative leave.
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
