Mayor Mahoney, Chief Todd respond to OneFargo allegations

Mayor Mahoney says he has been reaching out to OneFargo to schedule a meeting with them for the last week but that they have not responded to him

FARGO, N.D. — The Fargo Police Internal Affairs investigation report into former Deputy Chief Todd Osmundson during the May 30th protest and riots has been made public.

Prior to the release, Osmundson claimed to have been in contact with Chief Todd throughout that day and that the Chief told him he could go home at midnight.

OneFargo asked Chief Todd if that was true, but they say they didn’t get a straight answer.

“It was important for me not to really comment on that until this investigation had concluded,” said Todd.

The report concludes Osmundson acted alone.

Chief Todd admits to receiving texts from him early that day, but says he was not aware of the extent of the former deputy chief’s actions. He says those details were not revealed to him until the next day.

While the rest of the department claims to have been unaware of Osmundson’s actions while he was in street clothes, Chief Todd says Osmundson considered himself on duty and therefore what he did was inappropriate, but not illegal.

“He considered himself self-deployed,” said Todd. “In doing that, he is violating policy and procedures. I guess that we would have to consider that he was working, but he was working inappropriately.”

OneFargo wanted an independent investigation, but Chief Todd says because it was an employment issue and not a criminal investigation Internal Affairs handled things.

The case and police’s involvement in it has upset OneFargo. As a response, they have planned a march this weekend.

Mayor Mahoney says he does not see the need for the protest.

“Why not have dialogue?” Mahoney asked. “We are ready to talk, we are ready to work together, and that is where my disappointment is. When you do a protest and you are not sure if it is going to become violent or not, when you look at Facebook posts that things might happen in our community, that scares people.”

After the May 30th events, Chief Todd sent an email to other law enforcement members referring to those involved in the incident as”thugs/domestic terrorists.” He said he wrote that while he was caught up in the heat of the moment.

“I had watched my officers getting hit with rocks and bricks. I watched businesses being broken into and looted, windows being broken and buildings being spray painted,” said Todd. “I probably let my emotions get the better of me and I used thugs and domestic terrorists.”

Chief Todd said the people he was referring to when he used those terms were not the peaceful protesters, but those inciting violence.