BREAKING NEWS
Minneapolis agrees to overhaul police training and force policies after George Floyd's murder
Read full article: Minneapolis agrees to overhaul police training and force policies after George Floyd's murderThe Minneapolis City Council has approved an agreement with the federal government to overhaul police training and use-of-force policies in the wake of the murder of George Floyd.
Minneapolis police officer killed while responding to a shooting call is remembered as a hero
Read full article: Minneapolis police officer killed while responding to a shooting call is remembered as a heroA Minneapolis police officer who was killed by a man he was trying to help at the site of a shooting is being memorialized as someone who exemplified the type of public servant the city’s police force has been trying to recruit amid years of tumult.
Minneapolis police officer dies in ambush shooting that killed 2 others including suspected gunman
Read full article: Minneapolis police officer dies in ambush shooting that killed 2 others including suspected gunmanA Minneapolis police officer was killed when he responded to a shooting call and was providing medical attention to a man who shot him in what authorities are calling an ambush.
Minneapolis passes Gaza cease-fire resolution despite mayor's veto
Read full article: Minneapolis passes Gaza cease-fire resolution despite mayor's vetoThe Minneapolis City Council has overridden a mayoral veto with a 9-3 vote and approved a resolution that calls for a cease-fire in Gaza and for an end to U.S. military funding to Israel.
Minneapolis council to discuss post-Floyd policing lawsuit
Read full article: Minneapolis council to discuss post-Floyd policing lawsuitThe Minneapolis City Council is set to hold a special meeting to discuss a potential settlement in a lawsuit filed by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights over the city’s policing practices after the murder of George Floyd.
Post-Floyd probe finds discrimination by Minneapolis police
Read full article: Post-Floyd probe finds discrimination by Minneapolis policeA state investigation launched after George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer has determined that the department has engaged in a pattern of race discrimination.
Amir Locke shooting rekindles mistrust of Minneapolis police
Read full article: Amir Locke shooting rekindles mistrust of Minneapolis policeThe killing of a Black man by Minneapolis police left his family and activists angry and questioning the credibility of a department widely criticized for its initial portrayal of George Floyd’s death.
Activists keep police reform push despite Minneapolis loss
Read full article: Activists keep police reform push despite Minneapolis lossPolice accountability activists are vowing to keep fighting for change despite the failure of a ballot proposal to replace the Minneapolis Police Department with a reimagined public safety unit.
Minneapolis voters reject replacing police with new agency
Read full article: Minneapolis voters reject replacing police with new agencyMinneapolis voters have rejected a proposal to replace the city’s police department with a new Department of Public Safety — an idea that arose from the May 2020 death of George Floyd.
Minneapolis mayor faces voters with policing on their minds
Read full article: Minneapolis mayor faces voters with policing on their mindsMinneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey was the face of the city through some of its darkest days — the police killing of George Floyd last year and the rioting, burning and looting that ensued.
Minneapolis police to curb stops for minor traffic violators
Read full article: Minneapolis police to curb stops for minor traffic violatorsA new policy change says Minneapolis police will no longer stop motorists for minor traffic violations, such as expired tabs or an air freshener hanging from a rearview mirror.
Minneapolis mayor: After year of reckoning, time for change
Read full article: Minneapolis mayor: After year of reckoning, time for changeFrom the death of George Floyd to the recent death of a 6-year-old girl from gun violence, the mayor of Minneapolis says his city has experienced one trauma after another this past year — and the city’s Black community has felt the pain the most.
Growing tension in Minneapolis as trial looms in Floyd death
Read full article: Growing tension in Minneapolis as trial looms in Floyd deathConcertina wire sits between fenced barriers outside the Hennepin County Government Center, Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2021, in Minneapolis, as part of security in preparation for the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Chauvin is charged with murder the death of George Floyd during an arrest last May in Minneapolis. Anything less than a murder conviction for Derek Chauvin is likely to test them — and the city — once again. Chauvin faces second-degree murder and manslaughter charges; three other fired officers go on trial in August. But the security going up around the Hennepin County courthouse, City Hall and the jail — all in the heart of downtown — is extraordinary.
Minneapolis approves cuts to police budget, not staffing
Read full article: Minneapolis approves cuts to police budget, not staffingMINNEAPOLIS – The Minneapolis City Council unanimously approved a budget early Thursday that will shift about $8 million from the police department toward violence prevention and other programs — but will keep the mayor's targeted staffing levels for sworn officers intact, averting a possible veto. City Council members had initially approved a proposal to cut the city's authorized police force to 750 officers, down from the current 888, beginning in 2022. “Tonight the City Council passed a budget that represents a compromise, and also a big step forward into a more compassionate and effective public safety future,” said City Council member Steve Fletcher, co-author of the proposal to lower the cap on staffing. Those against the plan said the City Council was acting irresponsibly and has bungled its attempts to bring change. The city was paying $4,500 a day at one point for private security for three council members who reported getting threats after supporting defunding.
Minneapolis approves cuts to police budget, not staffing
Read full article: Minneapolis approves cuts to police budget, not staffingMINNEAPOLIS – The Minneapolis City Council unanimously approved a budget early Thursday that will shift about $8 million from the police department toward violence prevention and other programs — but will keep the mayor's targeted staffing levels for sworn officers intact, averting a possible veto. “Tonight the City Council passed a budget that represents a compromise, and also a big step forward into a more compassionate and effective public safety future,” said City Council member Steve Fletcher, co-author of the proposal to lower the cap on staffing. The plan cuts nearly $8 million from Frey’s $179 million policing budget and redirects it to mental health teams, violence prevention programs and other initiatives. Those against the plan said the City Council was acting irresponsibly and has bungled its attempts to bring change. Such cuts have led some departments to lay off officers, cancel recruiting classes or retreat from hiring goals.
Minneapolis to name stretch of street for George Floyd
Read full article: Minneapolis to name stretch of street for George FloydMINNEAPOLIS – A stretch of a Minneapolis street that includes the place where George Floyd was killed will soon be named in his honor. Although the street will still be called Chicago Avenue, the city will refer to the blocks between 37th and 39th streets as George Perry Floyd Jr. Place, the Star Tribune reported. Floyd, a Black man who was handcuffed, died May 25 after Derek Chauvin, a white officer, pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck even as Floyd said he couldn’t breathe. Floyd’s death was captured in widely seen bystander video that set off protests around the world. Months after Floyd’s death, the intersection remains barricaded and now holds a memorial.
Floyd family sues Minneapolis officers charged in his death
Read full article: Floyd family sues Minneapolis officers charged in his deathafter announcing Wednesday, July 15, 2020 in Minneapolis the filing of a civil lawsuit against the city of Minneapolis and the officers involved in the death of George Floyd. The civil rights lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Minnesota, was announced by attorney Ben Crump and other lawyers representing Floyd's family members. All four officers were fired the day after Floyd's death, which set off protests that spread around the world and turned into a national reckoning on race in America. Floyd's death also sparked calls to abolish the Minneapolis Police Department and replace it with a new public safety department. After Floyd's death, Police Chief Medaria Arradondo said the type of restraint Chauvin had used wasn't authorized.
Minneapolis cops required to report de-escalation efforts
Read full article: Minneapolis cops required to report de-escalation effortsFILE - In this June 10, 2020 file photo, Minneapolis Police Department Chief of Police Medaria Arradondo, speaks in Minneapolis. The Minneapolis Police Department is changing its policy on reporting use of force incidents by requiring that officers document their attempts to de-escalate a situation in all situations, whether or not they end with force being used, Arradondo and Mayor Jacob Frey announced Tuesday, July 14, 2020. (Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Star Tribune via AP File)
Minneapolis cops required to report de-escalation efforts
Read full article: Minneapolis cops required to report de-escalation effortsFILE - In this June 10, 2020 file photo, Minneapolis Police Department Chief of Police Medaria Arradondo, speaks in Minneapolis. Besides requiring that officers report de-escalation attempts, the new policy expands requirements for reporting use of force incidents across the board and orders that officers provide more detail. “These comprehensive reporting requirements will help reinforce de-escalation as the first resort, increase accountability where de-escalation is an after-thought, and provide improved data to head off problematic interactions before they happen," Frey said. Prior to the new policy, there were no reporting requirements for techniques such as arm bars, wrist locks, drawing a firearm or using handcuffs, they said. And officers using authorized takedown techniques or chemical agents will also now be required to follow the same documentation and reporting requirements, as well as tell a supervisor.
Minneapolis reform plan would require insurance for officers
Read full article: Minneapolis reform plan would require insurance for officersAlondra Cano, a City Council member, speaks during "The Path Forward" meeting at Powderhorn Park on Sunday, June 7, 2020, in Minneapolis. The focus of the meeting was the defunding of the Minneapolis Police Department. Under the list of recommendations, officers would be required to carry their own professional liability insurance, an idea that aims to hike out-of-pocket insurance rates for officers who engage in high-risk conduct. They have no further excuses.The groups' recommendations came a day after nine of the 12 members on the Minneapolis City Council said they back disbanding the department. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Minneapolis City Council members intend to defund and dismantle the citys police department
Read full article: Minneapolis City Council members intend to defund and dismantle the citys police departmentCNN Nine members of the Minneapolis City Council on Sunday announced they intend to defund and dismantle the citys police department following the police killing of George Floyd. Council President Lisa Bender told CNN that with the nine votes the city council members would have a veto-proof majority of the council's 13 members. The nine council members made the announcement at a community rally in Minneapolis. City council members had previously said they would take steps to dismantle the police department, including Bender, who tweeted earlier this week, Yes. We are going to Jeremiah Ellison, city councilman for Ward 5, tweeted a similar message Thursday, writing, "We are going to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department.
As Minneapolis burns, mayor takes heat for the response
Read full article: As Minneapolis burns, mayor takes heat for the responseMinneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey speaks during a news conference Thursday, May 28, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minn. (Elizabeth Flores/Star Tribune via AP)MINNEAPOLIS First-term Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey appeared to be doing everything right. Tim Walz like Frey, a Democrat criticized the abject failure of the city's response and said the state had taken control. President Donald Trump took to Twitter to call Frey a very weak Radical Left Mayor and threatened to get involved. The black officer in that case was convicted of third-degree murder and is serving a 12 1/2-year term.
Police officer who knelt on George Floyd has been arrested, charged with murder
Read full article: Police officer who knelt on George Floyd has been arrested, charged with murder– The Minneapolis officer who was seen on video kneeling on the neck of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who died in custody after pleading that he could not breathe, was arrested Friday. The arrest comes after three days of protests, which escalated in violence as demonstrators torched a police precinct that had been abandoned by officers. Walz said the state would take over the response and that it’s time to show respect and dignity to those who are suffering. Walz said the state was in a supporting role and that it was up to city leaders to run the situation. As Frey continued, a reporter cut across loudly with a question: “What’s the plan here?”“With regard to?” Frey responded.