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CHRIS KELLEY BIOGRAPHY
A passion for public service, an enduring work ethic and a
commitment to giving back has always been the force behind
what motivates Christopher Kelley.
Born in 1970 to a proud union pipefitter and a homemaker,
Chris and his two brothers grew up in Hibbing, MN, the center
of the historic Iron Range region in northern Minnesota. After
graduating from Hibbing High School in 1988, Chris proudly
began his life of service, joining the US Army, where he was
deployed once during Operation Desert Storm in 1990‐91, and
twice during Operation Iraqi Freedom in the years 2004 and
2009, Chris’ devotion to his country led him to a 28‐year
career in both the US Army and the Army Reserves, where he
recently retired in 2016. His military operational specialty was
Intelligence Analysis and Counterintelligence.
His dedication and excellence resulted in several
commendations, awards, and medals, including:
5 Army Commendation awards
PAID FOR BY CHRIS KELLEY FOR CONGRESS
1 Joint Service Commendation Medal
2 Army Achievement awards, along with an Iraq Campaign
medal (2 campaign stars)
Southwest Asia Service medal (3 campaign stars)
The Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
The Kuwait Liberation Medal (a Kuwaiti award) and an
additional Kuwait Liberation Medal from Saudi Arabia.
In 1996, Chris’ dedication to duty led him to a career in Law
Enforcement.
Graduating from Range Tech college with a degree in Law
Enforcement, he joined the Minneapolis Police Department in
1998. Starting out on the Northside and Northeast
Minneapolis, he has worked the majority of his law
enforcement career at the 5th Precinct in South Minneapolis,
where Chris has been part of numerous initiatives, including
the Community Response Team and the Directed Patrol Beat,
in addition to responding to 911 emergencies and various
community needs. Chris was also one of 36 officers who were
selected to test run the new body cameras before
implementation for the department.
Wanting to continually enhance the knowledge and
understanding he brings to his job, Chris continued his
education, and in 2012, he graduated from Concordia
University St. Paul with a master’s degree in Criminal Justice
Leadership.
PAID FOR BY CHRIS KELLEY FOR CONGRESS
Married to his wife Karina for 4 years, they are the proud
parents of son Dominic, age 5. Chris has lived in Minneapolis
for most of his police career including St. Louis Park and South
Minneapolis.
A fan of WWII documentaries and classic car shows, Chris
enjoys spending his free time reading, four‐wheeling and
working on restoring his ‘62 Buick.
Having lived in and patrolled the streets of Minneapolis for
over twenty years (36,000 logged hours), Chris knows the
streets and he knows the people. Chris has first‐hand
knowledge of how the people of Minneapolis will come
together in a crisis, as they did during the Northside Tornado
and the 35W bridge collapse.
Chris believes in maximum utilization of available resources,
whether those resources are people, technology, or
information. Chris is seeking to represent the citizens of the
Fifth Congressional District so nobody gets left behind!
PAID FOR BY CHRIS KELLEY FOR CONGRESS