Michael Coffey, the Minnesota State Fair's assistant police chief, has filed a whistleblower lawsuit that pulls back the curtain on behind-the-scenes tension at one of the state's biggest events. In a complaint lodged Monday, Coffey accuses Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher and fair organizers of retaliating against him after he reported what he says was unlawful use of force during last year's fair.
Coffey's suit describes an incident on the evening of Sept. 1 in which three people were detained with no charges listed and arrest notes instructing officers to "hold until after the fair." According to the filing, video shows a young man pinned on the ground with multiple officers on top of him, and alleges that Sheriff Fletcher deployed a canister of chemical munitions toward the man's face, as reported by the Pioneer Press.
Sheriff Fletcher flatly rejects that description. "Coffey made several false accusations," he told the Pioneer Press, denying that he deployed chemical munitions as alleged in the complaint. A spokesperson for the State Fair also told the paper that the fair's actions were "entirely proper" and that it plans to defend itself in court.
The lawsuit says Coffey initially raised his concerns inside the chain of command. According to the complaint, he reported what he believed to be unlawful conduct to State Fair Police Chief Ron Knafla. The suit then traces a series of changes that Coffey says began in November,...
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