Mendota Heights City Council Fires Senior Police Officer
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — The senior police officer in Mendota Heights is out of a job, and says he plans to sue the city.
The city council voted 4-1 Tuesday night to fire Sgt. Robert Lambert.
It's not entirely clear why the council fired Lambert, but he had been on paid leave pending an internal-affairs investigation.
The city council vote came despite emotional pleas and endorsements from a packed room of supporters.
Mayor Sandra Krebsbach says independent investigators looking into an outside complaint about Lambert advised the council to demote or terminate him, or to ask for his resignation.
Lambert says the complaint involved mistakes he made while investigating a drug-overdose death.
He was asked to resign but refused.
Lambert claims he was fired in retaliation for demanding in 2012 that another police officer be investigated for wrongdoing.
His termination is effective Wednesday.