Minneapolis police officers are expressing renewed frustration with Gov. Tim Walz after his 2024 campaign as Kamala Harris’s running mate drew national attention to his leadership record during a critical period for the city.

According to Breitbart, five years after the George Floyd protests, some officers say Walz’s 2020 leadership failures make him unfit for national office and question why he was considered for vice president.

Walz’s selection by Harris in the 2024 Democratic ticket stirred debate among law enforcement officers in Minneapolis who were on duty during the unrest that followed Floyd’s killing. In interviews marking the fifth anniversary of the riots, several officers cited the governor’s indecision and criticized his crisis response.

The interviews were conducted by Blaze Media and released ahead of the May 25 anniversary of Floyd’s death. At the time, Walz, a former congressman and current governor, faced scrutiny for his delayed response to escalating violence across the Twin Cities. Some officers said Walz's hesitation to decisively deploy law enforcement has had lasting effects on the department’s morale and public confidence.

Officers Revisit Night of Civil Unrest

Reflecting on those days, an officer told Blaze Media the governor appeared to take pro-police positions only for political gain. “He made some comments leading up to the last election to make it sound like he supports law enforcement,” the officer said. "But his actions and indecision back in 2020 proved otherwise.”

Another officer questioned Harris’s campaign decision to name Walz as her running mate. "That made no sense to me," the officer said. "That he would be considered to run for the vice presidency ... the guy who let all of this happen in one of the largest metropolitan areas." As Minneapolis faced widespread looting, arson, and clashes between protesters and officers in the days following Floyd's death, law enforcement leadership struggled with mixed messages from city and state officials.

Local Leadership Also Comes Under Fire

While Walz remains at the center of the criticism, officers also placed blame on city officials, including Democratic Mayor Jacob Frey and the Minneapolis City Council. They said the decisions made at multiple levels of government weakened the city's ability to maintain order and manage police operations effectively.

“It’s been a complete embarrassment since all this has happened,” one unnamed officer said, referring to the consequences of policy changes and leadership decisions affecting the police department. “With all their decisions … with how to run the police department.”

Minneapolis faced broad calls for police reform in the aftermath of Floyd’s killing, with city leaders moving to restructure the department. Officers said those efforts often excluded front-line insights and eroded operational capacity.

Candidate Selection Sparks National Curiosity

According to campaign insiders, Harris selected Walz partly to highlight his Midwestern roots and attempt to gain support from voters in working-class states. It was a bid to counter Donald Trump’s appeal in similar communities.

That strategy ultimately did not succeed. Harris lost the general election by a wide margin, with post-election analyses suggesting that swing-state voters were unconvinced by the ticket’s messaging and choices. One officer commented that Walz’s vice presidential campaign only broadened national awareness of his record in Minnesota. “A lot of people looked up and said, ‘Who is this guy?’” the officer added. “In Minnesota, we had to raise our hands and say, ‘Yeah, he's ours. Sorry.”

2028 Presidential Aspirations Met with Doubt

Despite the outcome of the 2024 election, Walz has not ruled out a campaign for the presidency in 2028. That possibility drew scoffs from officers interviewed by Blaze Media, who see his leadership in Minnesota as an example of what not to emulate nationally.

“He has been way over his head in the current office that he holds,” said one officer. “I can’t believe that they would even consider him for that after what happened during the riots.” Another officer offered a sarcastic take on a potential Walz 2028 campaign. “I would love to see him run again,” the officer said. “I got a lot of amusement out of his 2024 vice presidential run.”

Anniversary Sparks Reflection on Leadership

The fifth anniversary of the riots has prompted renewed examination of political decision-making during critical periods. Officers who served during the unrest say they continue to feel the effects of decisions made in 2020. Although years have passed, the events remain a pivotal moment in Minneapolis’s history. Officers say lessons from that time have not been fully addressed. “He should be ashamed of everything that happened there,” said one officer, speaking about Walz. “It was clear he didn’t have control over what was going on, and the whole city suffered for it.”