John Harrington

John Harrington, the former Commissioner for the Department of Public Safety for Minnesota, was appointed by Governor Tim Walz and served until January 2023. Before becoming the Commissioner of Public Safety, Harrington served as the Chief of the Metro Transit Police from 2012-2019, helping to create the Homeless Action team and increasing diversity from 5-50%. Commissioner Harrington is a former member of the Minnesota Senate representing District 67, which includes the East area of Saint Paul. Harrington was the 39th Police Chief for St. Paul Police Department, serving from 2004-2010, where he began his police career in 1977. As St. Paul Police Chief, Harrington tackled some of the city's most challenging problems, developing programs that significantly reduced domestic violence and gang involvement. John grew up in Chicago, graduated from Dartmouth College, and earned a master's degree at the University of St. Thomas. In addition, he graduated from the FBI National Academy and Harvard Senior Management Institute. He is a founder of Ujamaa Place, a nonprofit organization in St Paul that serves African American men who are economically disadvantaged and have experienced repeated cycles of failure. He is working on his doctorate in Administration of Justice, a long-time goal of his.