Minneapolis to review police training, use of force policies following George Floyd killing

The Minneapolis City Council on Monday unanimously approved an agreement with the federal government to overhaul the city’s police training and use of force policies in response to the 2020 police killing of George Floyd.

The agreement incorporates and builds on changes made by Minneapolis police since former officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of killing Floyd after kneeling on his neck for about nine minutes during an arrest in May 2020, sparking nationwide riots.

Known as a consent decree, the agreement requires officers to “promote the sanctity of human life as the highest priority in their activities” and “carry out their law enforcement duties professionally and with respect for the dignity of each person.

Officers must not allow race, gender or ethnicity “to influence any decision to use force, including the amount or type of force used.”

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The agreement will place the police department under long-term judicial oversight. The department had already been in negotiations with the federal government since the Justice Department issued a scathing reprimand of Minneapolis police in 2023.

After a two-year investigation, the DOJ accused the department of engaging in systematic racial discrimination, violating constitutional rights, and disregarding the safety of people in their custody for years before the death of Floyd. The DOJ said the officers used excessive force, including “unjustified deadly force,” and violated the right of speech protected by the First Amendment.

“The death of George Floyd was not only a tragedy, it was a galvanizing force for the city and for the nation,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, head of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, said Monday. Justice, during a press conference. “All eyes remain on Minneapolis, and with this consent decree, we now have a roadmap for reform that will help this community heal while building trust between law enforcement and the people they serve. ‘they serve.’

An independent monitor will oversee changes to police training and policies, which a judge must approve.

“I would like to thank our community for standing together, united in this process, and being patient with us as we have traveled a very, very long and difficult journey,” the council president said Monday municipal, Elliott Payne, after the vote. “We are just getting started and we know we have a long way to go. Our success will only be realized when we all work together on what is arguably one of the most important issues in the life of our city. “

In 2023, a state court approved a similar agreement between Minneapolis and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights after the agency issued its own report the previous year. The state investigation found that city police engaged in racial discrimination for at least a decade.

The DOJ has opened 12 similar investigations of state and local law enforcement agencies across the country since April 2021, many in response to high-profile police killings. If approved by the courts, the DOJ will enforce 16 regulations on policing “patterns and practices” across the country.

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The DOJ has reached agreements with Seattle, New Orleans, Baltimore, Chicago and Ferguson, Missouri. A consent decree with Louisville, Kentucky, regarding the police shooting death of Breonna Taylor is awaiting court approval. Last month, the mayor of Memphis, Tennessee, rebuffed efforts to obtain a consent decree, arguing that the city had made many positive changes since Tire Nichols’ death.

During his first administration, President-elect Donald Trump criticized consent decrees as anti-police.

If the Minneapolis deal becomes final before Trump returns to office later this month, it would be difficult for him to end the deal because changes would require court approval.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.