Kroll cites ‘family’s best interest’ in departing four months early.
Bob Kroll, the incendiary Minneapolis police lieutenant whose role as president of the Minneapolis Police Federation made him a lightning rod in the debate over race and policing, announced plans Monday to retire from the department.
Kroll, 58, who was already eligible for retirement, will leave the force at the end of the month, he said in a letter to federation members. His retirement comes nearly eight months after the death of George Floyd in police custody, an incident that generated weeks of protests and calls for the defunding, or even abolishment, of the state’s largest police force. It also comes amid continuing fallout from the siege on the U.S. Capitol last week by supporters of President Donald Trump, whom Kroll has aligned himself with publicly.
In the letter, obtained by the Star Tribune, Kroll says that he initially planned to retire in May, but “after reviewing the bigger picture, it is in my family’s best interest for me to retire four months early.” Continue reading.