Police Department Adds 3rd PIO as Part of 'Transparancy' Mission

The Minneapolis Police Department announced a former public information officer would be rejoining the department's communication's team Monday.

According to a city press release, Cyndi Barrington will return to the role of PIO. Barrington was the department's PIO from November 1999 through February 2003. She joins existing PIOs Sgt. Stephen McCarty and Sgt. William Palmer.

The move is part of Police Chief Janee Harteau's "MPD 2.0 commitment to transparency," according to the release.

"Transparency, both inside the MPD and in the community, is a top priority for me. The key to transparency is effective communication. By increasing support to the media and communications staff, we can enhance our overall communications," Harteau said in the release. "We have talented, professional officers who do great things and we want to become more effective in getting those stories out into our community. We will now have a stronger communications team dedicated to this strategy, as well as explaining why things are done in police work and handling daily inquiries from the media and our community."

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