Minneapolis commits to police oversight after George Floyd probe
STORY: ::January 6, 2025
:: Minneapolis commits to police reform
after George Floyd investigation
::Minneapolis, Minnesota
Jacob Frey/Minneapolis mayor
"The city of Minneapolis and the Department of Justice moved with urgency and prioritized our shared goal of delivering a more just Minneapolis Police Department."
"We have finalized a federal consent decree, and change is afoot. In 2020, George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer, a tragedy that resonated across the globe."
"This legally binding agreement will give the city additional tools and the clarity as we continue doing the hard work about building trust and accountability in our communities."
"Justice and accountability must be tangible, not just words on a paper, but a reality that is lived in every interaction with every police officer in our Minneapolis Police Department."
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said, "Justice and accountability must be tangible, not just words on a paper, but a reality that is lived in every interaction with every police officer in our Minneapolis Police Department."
The city's clerk and a U.S. Justice Department spokesperson confirmed the 12-0 council vote on Monday.
Minneapolis and the Justice Department reached a court-enforceable agreement, known as a consent decree, that will seek an outside independent monitor to report on the city’s progress.
The agreement, which must be approved by a federal judge, cements police reforms in a city put in the world spotlight in 2020 after Floyd’s murder by a white police officer touched off weeks of nationwide protests and civil unrest over racism and police violence against Black Americans.
Floyd, who was Black, died after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for more than nine minutes.
The Justice Department investigation, which concluded in 2023, found that Minneapolis police regularly used excessive force and discriminated against Black people and Native Americans.
The probe found that police used potentially deadly neck restraints, since banned by the city, and shot at people in situations where there was no immediate threat.
The probe, known as a “pattern-or-practice” investigation, was separate from the federal criminal prosecutions of four Minneapolis police officers, including Chauvin, who were convicted of violating Floyd’s civil rights.
Chauvin was sentenced to more than 20 years in prison in the federal case. He was also found guilty of state murder charges.
Minneapolis is the second U.S. city to reach such an agreement following an investigation started by the Biden Justice Department, despite the department starting a dozen police department investigations over the last four years.
Louisville, Kentucky struck its own agreement with the Justice Department last month.