MINNEAPOLIS — Metro Transit's interim police chief is giving his first television interview, nearly two weeks after the former chief, Ernest Morales III, resigned.
Morales had been on leave since at least August and was facing an investigation into his conduct. Sources tell KARE 11 that investigation started after 14 employees brought forward sexual harassment or hostile workplace complaints.
Since he was hired last year, Morales had been at the forefront of a new safety plan to combat the problems on trains and buses that exploded during COVID-19.
But now interim chief Joe Dotseth says he's confident in the new systems in place that are centered around teamwork and not one person.
"The agency is still running like it was a couple months ago," said Dotseth. "All that is still going strong."
Dotseth has served with the agency for two decades. As a captain, he leads the Support Services Division which includes administration support, analytics and asset protection. He says he's committed to providing stability right now.
"One of the things I'm proudest of right now is the officers are still coming in every day, they're responding to calls for service and they're still doing their job," said Dotseth.
Morales had last worked with the New York City Police Department for 30 years and had a passion for boxing. He was hired as Metro Transit's ninth police chief at time the agency was struggling to combat growing crime and drug problems on its buses and trains. He helped implement the Safety and Security Action Plan and started seeing quick improvements.
But in August the agency confirmed he was put on leave amid an investigation. His personnel file from the Metropolitan Council shows he was placed on non-medical leave, though it did not disclose what the reason was.
"The officers are out there, they’re making connections with everybody, they’re solving problems and building those relationships," said Dotseth. "That’s what our officers do on a daily basis and it shows."
Metro Transit says crime continues to fall. In an email, a spokesperson wrote, "Crime is down 14% comparing the first half of this year to the first half of 2023; it was down 17.5% comparing just the second quarter."
And while the department is still short some 60 officers, next year's several hundred million dollar budget allows it to hire 55 new community service officers and 60 TRIP agents - new roles to help inspect fares and connect people in need to community services. All this as three new bus rapid transit lines are also set to open in 2025.
"I think there's always work to do but I'm really confident in the systems we've built at Metro Transit Police and there's just more presence on the system," said Dotseth. "So, I think as long as we stay focused with that team approach, we'll be just fine."
Dotseth wouldn't answer any questions about the investigation into Morales.
The agency says it does plan to start another nationwide search for a chief "soon".
And while there have been five new chiefs in the last 17 years at Metro Transit, each serving anywhere from seven years to one year, it's safe to say none have left under a dark cloud like Morales.