Minneapolis Review

On June 16, City officials joined the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to announce the findings of the DOJ investigation into the City of Minneapolis and Minneapolis Police Department (MPD). The release of these findings marks the beginning of negotiations between the City and the federal government to help shape a consent decree.

“Today marks an essential step forward for community trust and community safety,” said Mayor Jacob Frey. “Over time, our success will be defined by Minneapolis residents and the experience of our neighbors. And we’re not going to stop until every single person in Minneapolis feels that success. That means when every resident – regardless of their background, or the neighborhood they call home – feels safer when they see and interact with a Minneapolis police officer, knowing that officer is guided by a commitment to justice. I want to thank the Department of Justice for its objective approach, thorough review, and expert analysis. We are united today in a shared commitment to community trust and community safety for the people of Minneapolis.”

“These findings we are embracing today are a clear and public demonstration of the recommendations we created when I served on President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing,” said Community Safety Commissioner Cedric Alexander. “This process is one of the vehicles that will help our City build relationships as we create and implement policy and systems change. We are committed to transforming Minneapolis into one of the safest cities in America for everyone who lives in or visits our city. Our job is to make sure our community safety teams fully embrace the best practices that can reduce crime and build public trust.”

“These findings are a major step in reforming this department into one that provides a level of service that will be a model for law enforcement agencies across the country. Moving forward, we will continue the process of changing the culture of the Minneapolis Police Department to ensure the safety and wellness of our police officers and the residents of this city,” said Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara. “And paramount to this is the rebuilding of trust between this department and the people it serves.”

Since June 2020, Mayor Frey and MPD leadership have implemented sweeping changes including overhauling the discipline matrix, placing limitations on pretextual traffic stops, updating the Field Training Officer program, restricting the use of less lethal munitions, and more.

In the latter half of 2022, the City established a new government structure, set up the Office of Community Safety, and hired a new Community Safety Commissioner and Police Chief – charting a path for a new comprehensive approach to community safety. The Office of Community Safety houses not only Police, but also Fire, Emergency Management, 911, and a new department of Neighborhood Safety.

The City has also expanded the Behavioral Crisis Response (BCR) program, moving it into the Office of Community Safety to work alongside all other safety programs. With a $1.45 million investment in 2023 and $2.9 million in 2024, BCR provides unarmed, mental health professionals as responders in behavioral health crisis situations, bringing the ongoing annual investment in this work to over $6.4 million by 2024. 

The DOJ findings come on the heels of City leaders approving terms of a court-enforceable settlement agreement with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights that outlines policy, accountability, and training requirements that the MPD and City enterprise will undertake. The MDHR settlement agreement will be effective once it is approved by a Hennepin County District Court judge. When the DOJ reaches a consent decree with the City, MDHR and the City have agreed to modify the MDHR settlement agreement, if necessary, so that there is no conflict with the DOJ consent decree. In addition, MDHR and the City have agreed that there will be only one person or entity to independently evaluate compliance with both the MDHR settlement agreement and a DOJ consent decree.

The City posted a request for proposals (RFP) for an independent evaluator and submissions were due June 9. The City and MDHR will select finalists after reviewing the proposals, and then two public meetings will be held for the community to learn more about the finalists.

Original source can be found here.