Bob Kroll was the violent, racist, corrupt Minneapolis police lieutenant and president of the local police federation. Kroll fought any attempt at progress against police violence. He encouraged violence, insubordination, and racism. Kroll is banned from policing in most of the Twin Cities until 2033; but now, Kroll is campaigning to become head of the US marshals for Minnesota. Kroll is an outspoken Trump supporter who has appeared on stage at Trump rallies and is married to a small-time rightwing pundit; so, unfortunately, there is a real risk Trump will push the appointment through.

Violent

Kroll has over 50 complaints against him, and has been the subject of nearly 20 lawsuits. Despite Minneapolis review boards being constructed to discourage actual discipline, Kroll has been reprimanded, suspended, and demoted.

Kroll is accused of beating and kicking a minor in the 90s while yelling racist slurs. He beat and kicked another kid in the city impound lot in the aughts. He led a botched no knock warrant raid where a family was needlessly harassed, beaten, and humiliated. He was part of some Mike Tyson-esque ear-biting incident in a bar fight.

When Ralph Richardson, a Black man, became a Minneapolis city council member, Richardson says Kroll and some of his cronies met with him and threatened his life.

The Art-a-Whirl Incident

This is not the remotely close to the worst incident of violence, this embodies the corrupt, entitled viciousness of Kroll and the MPD.

Art-a-Whirl is a large annual art fair. Unfortunately for some attendees, it is also in the same neighborhood as the police federation office and several cop bars.

Kroll, another cop, and that cop's wife were out together, probably drinking. Witnesses described Kroll as seeming drunk, but of course, the other police who responded never looked into this.

A young man was in the middle of the street talking to someone in a car. He was swinging his backpack. Kroll's friend tried to drive by, and his friend’s car hit the backpack. Reactions to hitting a pedestrian might include stopping to check if they are okay, apologizing, or even just fleeing, but instead Kroll and the other cop got out of the car, and without identifying themselves as cops or explaining why, started beating the man's face. They would eventually stand over him, punching his head against the pavement, and kick him in the head.

The victim's sister and her friends tried to intervene; so, the off-duty cops attacked them as well. Additional people confronted the officers about the violence. They would later be attacked as well.

At some point, Kroll’s group had called for police backup. It was “toned”, meaning it was broadcast as an “officer needs assistance” call. When police started arriving, some of the people confronting Kroll and friend turned away and sat down waiting to speak to the police.

At this point, in front of the other officers, Kroll's friend hit one person from behind in the head, knocking him down; and Kroll ran up to someone sitting on the curb, and kicked them in the face, breaking a tooth.

More cops arrived and eventually got Kroll and his buddy away from their victims. But the cops arrested not Kroll and his friend, but the first victim - having him booked for property damage and assault charges.

Insubordination

Kroll violated department policy against using department uniforms and vehicles to support political candidates during Trump's first campaign. When called out on the violation, Kroll doubled-down and did it more.

When the Minneapolis mayor banned dangerous and ineffective “warrior training” for MPD officers, Kroll arranged free warrior training for all officers.

Racism

Kroll has been documented in lawsuits to be a member of a white supremacist biker gang for racist cops called City Heat. Black officers, including eventual police chief Arradondo sued the department because of general racism, and specific racist, homophobic, and Islamophobic attacks by Kroll.

There has never been a Black man killed by police that Kroll didn’t think deserved it, and that Kroll wasn’t eager to insult and blame for his own killing. He referred to George Floyd as a “violent criminal”.

When Governor Dayton arranged to have a police training fund named after Philando Castille, Kroll blocked it. For fucks sake, if there ever was a case that showed that cops needed different and better training, it was officer Yanez’ completely unnecessary execution of a beloved community member and innocent man.

The Uprising

Kroll was banned from policing largely for his roll in encouraging violence against protesters after the murder of George Floyd. The MPD beat People, shot pepper spray point blank into people's eyes, shot 40mm rubber bullets at people's heads - leading to blindness and death - and targeted journalists and medics for violence. The whole time, Kroll was egging them on and justifying their actions. The lawsuit showed that Kroll was de facto in charge of the officers and accountable for the violence. Before Kroll resigned, more than 250,000 people signed the petition to demand Kroll be fired.

Media

Kroll married a local news anchor, Liz Collins, and used that relationship to launder Kroll's racist and violent police policies on the nightly news. Eventually discredited, Collins now works for a small, ill-reputed right-wing news outlet, and with Kroll, helped produce The Fall of Minneapolis, a far-right revisionist history that justifies George Floyd's murder and blames politicians - not the powder keg of racist, violent policing that Kroll helped create - for the Minneapolis uprising.

Conclusions

Obviously, this is all not just Kroll’s fault. Multiple mayors and police chiefs have called Kroll a “disgrace” and a “cancer”, but no one ever found a way to fire him. His final election as president of the police federation, 75% of the officers voted for violent, racist Kroll. MPD continued to not just employ but promote him because of a broken philosophy that we need skull crackers like Kroll "to keep us safe". Kroll but exploited and is a walking indictment of Minneapolis policing and politics.

Links

CUAPB complaints page
Rally calls for Bob Kroll to resign as Minneapolis police union president, 250,000 signatures delivered (Fox 9)
All the Reasons Bob Kroll Can Go to Hell, Including His Attack of the Lynx (Deadspin)
Lawsuit bars ex-Minneapolis police union head Bob Kroll from policing in 3 counties (Sahan Journal)
Disgraced Minneapolis police officer up for Trump nomination to head MN U.S. Marshals (Fightback News)