Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak freely admits there are times he micromanages the Police Department.
It's not that he doesn't trust Chief Tim Dolan; in fact, Rybak nominated him Wednesday for another three-year term.
But when Rybak wanted more officers on the street or a plan to curb violent juvenile crime, he didn't hesitate to jump in, he said, because public safety falls mostly on the shoulders of a mayor.
Rybak said his nomination reflects his satisfaction with the general direction Dolan is taking the department, and with how Dolan is implementing Rybak's vision for a safer city.
Since Rybak first nominated Dolan for chief in 2006, violent crime has taken a dramatic decline each year. Officers have better technology to do their jobs more efficiently. And the city's efforts on juvenile crime have received national recognition.
"We can disagree on issues, but we have an unusually strong partnership that works," Rybak said.
Dolan agrees, saying: "The mayor is a task master. Certain things are very important to him. And he's never short of energy."
Rybak has backed the chief on controversies involving the department. He praised the chief's request for an inquiry into the a squad car video showing several officers kicking a man during an arrest. The mayor also supported the chief's decision to resist using force on a large crowd that wouldn't move off the streets during the 2008 Republican National Convention.
