Sources: Metro Transit chief under investigation for hostile workplace allegations

An internal investigation into Metro Transit Police Chief Ernest Morales III began earlier this spring following multiple complaints by employees.

They stem from accusations of Morales creating a hostile work environment and negative interactions with women, according to two sources with knowledge of the investigation.

Three formal complaints have been filed against the chief, according to information gleaned through a public records request with the Metropolitan Council. No further information was available.

The Met Council, which oversees Metro Transit, hired Minneapolis-based law firm Nilan Johnson Lewis more than eight weeks ago to conduct a joint investigation, a source said. An unknown number of Metro Transit employees were asked to voluntarily participate in interviews for the inquiry.

Morales was placed on paid administrative leave Friday, without explanation.

Met Council spokeswoman Terri Dresen declined to comment on the pending investigation, citing private personnel data. Morales could not be reached for comment.

Morales, a New York City transplant, is known for his brash style and has made waves with some employees, specifically women, sources said. During several work meetings this year, Morales has raised his voice and displayed behavior that subordinates viewed as “bullying” and “intimidation,” the Star Tribune has learned.

Morales appeared on a video call with members of the media on Aug. 6 to announce second-quarter crime statistics. He appeared on screen in uniform.

As recently as last week, Morales, an avid boxer, was promoting a Sept. 7 charity fight between himself and WBA welterweight champion Jamal James at the Circle of Discipline in south Minneapolis. The event, seemingly sponsored by Metro Transit, has since been postponed.

When the Met Council receives a personnel complaint, Dresen said, it generally conducts an investigation before taking any disciplinary action.

“Many internal personnel investigations are complex, involve many witness interviews, and may take months to complete,” Dresen said in an email. “The decision to place a subject of an investigation on administrative leave may be made at any time during the investigation.”

Once the investigation is complete, then management will determine whether to “impose discipline,” Dresen said.

Morales, who came to the Twin Cities early last year, and was seen as a linchpin in Metro Transit’s fight against rising crime following the COVID-19 pandemic.

When his hiring was announced, the Met Council praised Morales, saying he was a “proven leader known for his ability to build effective relationships that collaboratively address security issues through empathy, communication, trust and understanding.”

A crime-busting 40-point safety and security plan was adopted by the Metropolitan Council in 2022, and it was largely left to Morales and the Police Department to implement it.

“Policing is all about community,” he told the Star Tribune when hired. “We are a public service agency. We serve the people of the city.”

In the second quarter, crime declined 17.5% when compared with last spring. However, crime increased 32% in 2023.

The safety plan calls for an increased presence of law enforcement aboard buses and trains and at stations throughout the transit systems.

That includes police officers and police-in-training community service officers (CSOs), as well as Transit Rider Investment Program (TRIP) agents who make sure people are paying fares. The agency has also contracted with community organizations to provide services to passengers with drug and alcohol issues and those who are homeless.

However, Morales and Metro Transit have struggled to attract officers to the fold. While there’s money in the budget to hire 171 officers, only 112 are on the force. Likewise, 70 CSOs are budgeted, but only 15 were on staff as of last week.

Morales spent most of his career with the New York City Police Department, working in crisis management, investigations and administration. Before taking the job in Minnesota, he was employed by the Mount Vernon, N.Y., Police Department. He’s also retired from the U.S. Navy Reserve.

When he took the job in 2023, he said behavior aboard the light-rail system was “unacceptable for all of us, and I think it’s a shock.” But months later he declared police had “taken back the Blue Line.”

In late June, while he was already under investigation, Morales was among nearly three dozen people who applied to be the police chief in Austin, Texas, according to the Austin Chronicle. He did not get that job.