Fired North Dakota police chief under investigation for alleged misconduct, civil rights violation

ROLLA, N.D. — A former police chief who was fired after just three months in his role is being investigated by the FBI and state authorities for what they say were multiple violations of the law during his time serving in a north-central North Dakota police department.

Matthew Anderson, who was sworn in as Rolla Police Chief in April and fired by the city in July after city leaders learned he was under investigation, faces a wide range of accusations from law enforcement colleagues and investigators. Among them are that he falsified a search warrant, used a stun gun on a pregnant woman and ordered forced catheterizations of people in police custody without proper justification.

The city of Rolla fired Anderson during an eight-minute emergency hearing after learning he was under investigation by the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the FBI for allegedly breaking the law on duty. In August, the North Dakota Peace Officer Standards and Training Board would strip Anderson of his law enforcement license.

The Rolette County State's Attorney Office and BCI ramped up their investigation after a Rolla police officer approached a BCI agent at training and asked if he knew that then-chief Anderson had wrecked two cruisers in crashes, BCI investigator Craig Zachmeier told the North Dakota POST Board at an Aug. 21 meeting.

Read more: https://www.inforum.com/news/crime-and-courts/4734475-Fired-North-Dakota-police-chief-under-investigation-for-alleged-misconduct-civil-rights-violation