Who We Are - Metro Transit

Eddie Frizell

Chief of Police

Eddie Frizell was sworn in as the Metro Transit Police Department’s eighth police chief in August 2019. Before leading the Metro Transit Police Department, Frizell spent 26 years with the Minneapolis Police Department. During his time with the Minneapolis Police Department, Frizell served as the inspector of the First Precinct, deputy chief of police, as a SWAT negotiator and as an internal affairs investigator. He is also a 30-year veteran of the Minnesota Army National Guard, including two overseas deployments to Bosnia and Kuwait/Iraq. He currently holds the rank of Colonel. He is a graduate of the University of Iowa and the U.S. Army War College. Frizell and his wife have a son and two adult daughters.

Captain Brooke Blakey

Chief of Staff

brooke.blakey@transitpd.org

Captain Blakey acts as the main contact to the Chief of Police and therefore oversees all functions of operations, investigations, administration, and community outreach. By reporting directly to Chief Frizell, she also assists the Office of the Chief distribute information to MTPD’s valued community partners. Captain Blakey is a leading expert in community/police relations, particularly with unsheltered populations. She was instrumental in the creation of MTPD’s Homeless Action Team (HAT), which is a dedicated group of officers who spend their time helping the unsheltered. Captain Blakey also served with the Minnesota State Fair Police, where she acted as the department’s Public Information Officer.

Captain Rick Grates

Patrol Operations

richard.grates@transitpd.org

Captain Grates operates and supervises MTPD’s patrol operations, which encompasses both MTPD West Command and MTPD East Command. Captain Grates is responsible for over 80 officers, 12 Sergeants and three Lieutenants. He also oversees special events and planning along with determining deployment of the MTPD’s 47 part-time police officers. MTPD’s CompStat program is one of the many strategic initiatives used by the patrol division to determine officer deployments. Community Oriented Policing along with CompStat are focal points for the patrol division. Captain Grates has over 25 years of service and has served MTPD as a patrol officer, investigator, Sergeant and Lieutenant. He also is a graduate of Northwest School of Police Staff and Command.

Captain Anthony Hines

Training and Professional Standards

anthony.hines@transitpd.org

Captain Hines leads MTPD’s Professional Standards & Training Division. He chairs the Use of Force Review Board and the Department’s Uniform Committee. He is responsible for the recruiting, hiring, backgrounding, and training of all new officers entering the ranks at Metro Transit Police Department. Captain Hines serves as the Field Training Coordinator and Instructor for officers matriculating from MTPD’s Police Academy to full-time patrol. The Training Unit conducts internal training and coordinates all department training for full-time and part-time officers. Captain Hines has over 20 years of law enforcement experience. He holds a Master of Criminal Justice Leadership and has completed the Senior Management Institute for Police, FBI-LEEDA Supervisory Trilogy, and Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command. He served the community as the president of the Minnesota Black Peace Officers Association for four years and he was appointed to the Governor of Minnesota’s 2016 Council on Law Enforcement and Community Relations.

Captain Troy Schmitz

Investigations

troy.schmitz@transitpd.org

Captain Schmitz oversees the general investigations unit, crash reconstruction unit, and the juvenile investigations unit. The investigations division is responsible for investigating crimes occurring on Metro Transit property. The investigations unit investigates all levels of crimes and conducts on-scene and follow-up investigations. The crash reconstruction unit investigates incidents involving Metro Transit vehicles that include: buses, light rail, and commuter rail. The investigators assigned to the crash reconstruction team receive advanced training and have specialized equipment assigned to them. The juvenile investigators are specialty trained also and focus on outreach and diversion as a community oriented policing strategy. Captain Schmitz has a master’s degree in public administration and has served a variety of roles in his career to include: patrol, administration, internal affairs, and investigations.

Lieutenant Joseph R. Dotseth

Administration and Support Services

joseph.dotseth@transitpd.org

Lieutenant Dotseth is responsible for the operational and capital budgets, grant writing, grant project management, and Homeland Security initiatives. He also oversees the property and evidence unit, procurements, payroll administration, records unit, and the administrative support staff. He is a 19-year veteran of law enforcement and has served a variety of roles with MTPD to include: patrol officer, beat officer, field training officer, patrol Sergeant, and most recently an Internal Affairs Investigator. Lieutenant Dotseth holds a M.A. in Public Safety Administration from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota and will be attending the Northwest School of Police Staff and Command during 2020.

Lieutenant Erin Dietz

Internal Affairs and Inspections Unit

erin.dietz@transitpd.org

Lieutenant Dietz supervises the MTPD's Internal Affairs and Inspections Unit (IAU), which is dedicated to ensuring that the relationship between the department and the community is built upon trust and transparency. The IAU investigates complaints of misconduct and violations of department policy and conducts routine inspections of department functions. These inspections ensure that standard operational functions are being performed at acceptable levels. Lieutenant Dietz has a M.A. in Criminal Justice Leadership from Concordia University and has served with the Air National Guard.

Gwen DeGroff-Gunter

Recruitment and Outreach Coordinator

gwendolyn.degroff-gunter@transitpd.org

Gwen is a 20-year veteran of the Minneapolis Police Department, who retired as a Lieutenant in 2012. As MTPD’s recruitment and community outreach coordinator, Gwen collaborates with metro area schools, other police departments and community partners to coordinate and plan special events where youth and police can connect in a non-enforcement environment. She is also the main point of contact for MTPD’s community partnership program. Gwen manages MTPD’s resource plan with several community groups which include MAD DADS and the Community Ambassador program in St. Paul. Community involvement is a pivotal function for MTPD’s community-oriented policy plan and Gwen has been instrumental in creating successful partnerships. Additionally, Gwen has served as MTPD’s juvenile outreach coordinator where she created a diversion program and hosted police/youth mentorship forums. Lastly, Gwen coordinates with the Professional Standards Unit for recruitment and hiring of new officers.

Leah Palmer

Policy and Project Development

leah.palmer@transitpd.org

Leah has a background that includes more than a decade connecting law enforcement agencies with the communities they serve. Through project management, community engagement, and best-practice implementation, she has made lasting improvements in how officers are trained, how they engage with the public, and how their work can be better understood. Most recently, Leah worked to support the Metro Transit Police Department's Body Camera program, with an eye to allowing the transit-riding community better understand police interactions. Her dedication to those that law enforcement serve is seen through her experience as a domestic violence prevention specialist and in leading community forums on. A graduate with a Sociology degree from the University of Wisconsin River Falls, she also earned a Master's degree from the University of Minnesota's Humphrey School of Public Affairs.