Golden Valley, MN:. Police Chief Virgil Green has been placed on paid administrative leave while the city investigates an unspecified complaint made against him.
The news was first reported by Crime Watch Minneapolis on Saturday based on reports from sources familiar with the situation and was later confirmed by the city.
Citing state privacy laws, the city declined to specify the nature of the complaint against Green in a statement to Alpha News:
“The City of Golden Valley has placed Police Chief Virgil Green on paid administrative leave until further notice pending review of a complaint. Under state law the City is unable to share the nature of the complaint. Assistant Chiefs White and Perez will co-lead the department in Chief Green’s absence.”
Alpha News reported in 2022 that Green, who was sworn in as Golden Valley’s first black police chief in September of that year, had bounced around several police roles in Oklahoma and Arkansas over the previous years, and had unsuccessfully tried to sue at least two former employers.
In one case filed against the city of Helena-West Helena, Green had claimed he was terminated “on the basis of race, age, and other immutable characteristics,” and claimed discrimination. The mayor of the city stated that Green’s lack of success in reducing crime in the town was a major reason for his termination. The case was eventually dismissed with prejudice by a judge, meaning he was unable to refile the same claim.
His swear-in date as Golden Valley chief of police had also been delayed more than once because he had yet to take and pass a licensing exam to work as a police officer in Minnesota.
A few months after being sworn in, Green apologized after making a social media post on Law Enforcement Appreciation Day that included an image of a Thin Blue Line flag, that some claimed was offensive.
Green’s apology statement included a link to an article from The Marshall Project titled “The Short, Fraught History of the ‘Thin Blue Line’ American Flag,” which was published in June 2020 amid the nationwide George Floyd riots.
The process in the lead-up to Green’s eventual selection as chief was also fraught with controversy as the department struggled with the loss of officers amid accusations from the city’s mayor at the time, Shep Harris, of a “toxic culture” that he said included hostility, intimidation, and racism. Golden Valley’s interim chief at that time, Scott Nadeau, who is white, resigned following the comments and eventually sued the city for reverse discrimination. Nadeau claimed he was the top candidate for the job, but was passed over in favor of Green, a black candidate. The city eventually settled with Nadeau and paid him and his attorney over $162,000 via The League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust.
Alpha News will continue to follow developments in this story.
