Police booster sues city of Golden Valley and mayor for defamation

A Golden Valley resident is suing Mayor Shep Harris and the city, claiming a statement from the mayor last year questioning the use of a city crime prevention fund was defamatory.

In March 2022, as the city was working to hire a new police chief, Harris said some Golden Valley police officers were inappropriately benefiting from the Golden Valley Crime Prevention Fund. According to its website, the fund goes toward rewards for tips that help police solve crimes, scholarships for people pursuing law enforcement-related degrees and community engagement efforts like Shop with a Cop and the bike rodeo.

The fund's vice president, Mark Friederichs, filed separate suits Tuesday in Hennepin County District Court against Harris and the city. The handwritten complaints allege defamation stemming from one piece of the mayor's lengthy statement.

"Members of the police department are receiving ethically questionable financial perks through the Crime Prevention Fund," Harris said during a City Council meeting more than a year ago, "creating the perception of conflicts of interest and preferential treatment to certain residents/businesses."

Harris' statement did not name Friederichs.

Friederichs, who is representing himself, is seeking damages in the form of a written apology and $250,000 from the city. In an interview Thursday, he said the mayor made too much of the fund's work.

"This isn't high finance, this is the bike rodeo," Friederichs said.

Over the last year, he said, the fund has worked with new police Chief Virgil Green to fund community engagement projects and commendation dinners, even buying a cake to welcome Green. Friederichs said he brought a lawsuit because he was frustrated that the mayor would not apologize to him.

"He put his foot in his mouth and a gentleman would apologize," Friederichs said.

Harris and the city of Golden Valley declined to comment on the lawsuits.

According to financial reports filed with the state of Minnesota, the fund spent just over $4,000 in 2020, the most recent reports available, and took in donations of more than $15,000. The fund ended 2020 with more than $96,000 in reserves.

The nonprofit's annual revenue is small enough that it is not required to file a detailed account of how it spent that money with the IRS.

The police chief hiring process last year unearthed deep conflicts in the department, and a lack of trust in Golden Valley officers from some in the community. In the same statement in March, Harris called for an investigation into the department's culture. That investigation, released in December, reported a culture of racism in the department and detailed a former officer's secret recording of an anti-bias training session, in possible violation of state data privacy law.