Chief Melissa Chiodo was hired to lead IGH PD in 2019 after 23 years of experience in law enforcement with the City of Minneapolis. Before beginning her career as a patrol officer, she earned a bachelor’s degree in English and Communications from St. Catherine University in St. Paul. She went on to serve as a sergeant in investigations and patrol, lieutenant in investigations and patrol, and commander in special crimes and internal affairs. Chief Chiodo earned a master’s degree in criminal justice and police leadership from Concordia University in St. Paul, and she was a logistics coordinator for the City of Minneapolis during the 35W bridge collapse and the Republican National Convention. She was also the logistics Chief for Super Bowl LII and the Incident Commander for the 2019 Final Four at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Chief Chiodo led the COVID-19 emergency response in IGH and co-led the response to the 2020 civil unrest in Dakota County. She is a guest speaker at events and trainings throughout the region and was featured in the PBS documentary Women in Blue in 2021. Having grown up in International Falls in far northern Minnesota, she was drawn to a leadership position in a small city. Chief Chiodo’s priorities for IGH PD include fair and impartial policing, training in de-escalation, outreach with youth and under-served communities and building safer neighborhoods through community policing initiatives.