Bob Kroll, the outspoken and incendiary former Minneapolis police union leader, is seeking President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination to be Minnesota’s next U.S. marshal, according to documents obtained by the Star Tribune.
Kroll is banned from serving as a law enforcement officer in three of the state’s most populous counties for 10 years under a federal civil settlement approved last year. But over the weekend, Kroll’s attorney issued a letter arguing the settlement shouldn’t keep Kroll from joining the federal agency, primarily tasked with tracking down fugitives and providing security for Minnesota’s federal courthouses and judges. It also assists in asset forfeiture, witness protection and transporting federal inmates between prisons.
Kroll applied before a Dec. 20 deadline imposed by a search committee for U.S. Attorney and U.S. marshal candidates that is being organized by Minnesota’s Republican congressional delegation.
Incoming administrations, particularly those of different political parties than the incumbent, typically remove previous presidential appointees. U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger has said he plans to step down before Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration. U.S. Marshal Eddie Frizell, a Biden appointee who in 2022 became the state’s first Black marshal, has not publicly stated his plans. Frizell could not be reached for comment.
Kroll declined to comment for this article. His pursuit of the position is being aided on a pro bono basis by Minneapolis attorney Chris Madel. Madel represented Minnesota state trooper Ryan Londregan in his murder case in the shooting of a Black motorist before Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty dismissed the charges last summer. Madel also represents the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association (MPPOA), one of two groups endorsing Kroll for U.S. marshal.
“I’ve spent a ton of time with cops this past year,” Madel said in an email. “The respect cops have for Bob Kroll is unmatched, and there’s great reason for it. Minnesota needs law enforcement, and nobody says law enforcement in Minnesota more than Bob Kroll.”
Kroll spent three decades as a law enforcement officer, including 25 years as a union representative for the Minneapolis Police Department. During that time, he earned the MPD’s medal of valor, three medals of commendation and eight awards of merit.
But he also racked up a lengthy disciplinary record, which included civil complaints and lawsuits involving wrongful arrest and excessive force.