MINNEAPOLIS — Over the weekend, community members finally got the chance to help former Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo celebrate his retirement.
Arradondo, Minneapolis' first black police chief, retired last month without fanfare after five years as chief, and more than 30 years on the force.
A celebration to honor him and his service was held Saturday night at Shiloh Temple in Minneapolis.
Also on Saturday, KARE 11 got the chance to speak one-on-one with him about life after the force, his thoughts on what's happening in the city, and the message he wanted to share with the people he served.
"Well, one of the things I will tell you that I don't miss is a 24-7 phone going off all the time," he said. "So that has probably been one of the most interesting adjustments in my life that I've had to make, and the one that I'm probably accepting. I'm looking forward to transitioning into my new role as a private citizen."
Arradondo also offered his thoughts on the death of Amir Locke, the 22-year-old Black man killed by Minneapolis police while they executed a no-knock warrant at a downtown apartment building in early February.
"You know, obviously crisis -- and certainly tragic events -- are not something that I've been immune from and so I'm confident that all vested stakeholders will work through the investigation process," he said. "And obviously, people want the facts. And so I'm just hopeful we'll get to that point."
He added, "I know that there are folks that are suffering and going through some pains right now, but I'm confident and hopeful that we'll get through this here."
Arradondo said he's placing part of that confidence in younger generations, who he believes will steer the city toward a better future.
"I think that we're certainly a resilient population here in Minneapolis," he said. "We're resilient people. I'm confident that our younger voices and our younger people will step up... We all have to do our best to be committed to making a better future, better tomorrow, for our children. I'm very confident of that."
The former chief also offered a message for the city and the people he served, saying he's "thankful and proud of" the men and women he worked with in the department, and that the "community has really been family" for him in "so many ways."
"It has been a humbling honor and a privilege to have been able to serve this city for the last 32 years," he said. "And so, I'm looking forward to the future of this city, which I believe is going to be promising."
As far as his next step? He says he's still trying to figure that out.
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