Minneapolis leaders say they have a “strong foundation” in working toward police reforms required under a court agreement between the city and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights.
Effective Law Enforcement for All, a firm that oversees the city’s reform work, released its first progress report Monday. The report looks at the city’s efforts between March 18, 2024, and September 30, 2024. During that period, the police department wrote new policies guiding police work, but is still working to clear backlogs regarding alleged officer misconduct and use of force.
Minneapolis City Attorney Kristyn Anderson said at a news conference Monday that the city is on track to meet most of the goals in the agreement, which is known as a consent decree.
“Since this is our first report, we will not be compliant in many things right now, because the work is ongoing, and again, those building blocks are being built progressively,” Anderson said. “But we are on track to meet most of the goals set forth in this phase of the agreement. The report is a step in the right direction.”
What is the agreement?
Minneapolis and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights (MDHR) entered into a court-enforceable settlement agreement in 2023, after MDHR released a report which found that the city and police department violated the Minnesota Human Rights Act and engaged in racially discriminatory policing.
The investigation found that officers used more severe force against Black residents, and treated people of color and Native residents differently during traffic stops.
The state’s investigation began in 2020 after George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis police.
The agreement was approved in July 2023 by a judge, who presides over the case. The agreement is legally binding, and the process began when MDHR sued the city in state court. The report released Monday evaluates progress starting in March 2024, which is when the independent monitor’s contract was approved.
The agreement is set to last at least four years.
The next report will evaluate the city’s work between October 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025.
Progress so far
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said Monday that a major focus under the agreement has been writing new policies and updating practices on use of force, stops and searches, citations, engaging with minors and crisis intervention, among others. As part of the agreement, policies are posted online for public feedback.
“The most important thing for a year one in any consent decree, you’ve got to have the policies running first before you can implement anything,” O’Hara said at the press conference Monday with other city leaders.
The city has also been working to address its backlog in police misconduct investigations. As of October 10, 2024, the Office of Police Conduct Review, which investigates officer misconduct, had a backlog of 234 intake investigations. The office now has 106 intake investigations remaining.
Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights Director Michelle Phillips said at the press conference that the city recently hired a new director of the Office of Police Conduct Review.
“When it comes to the backlog, we had to get the right people in. There was a severe staffing shortage during this reporting period,” Phillips said. “The bottom line — there is still a backlog, but we are making progress.”
The police department is struggling to address a backlog in use of force investigations. As of September 30, the department’s Force Investigation Team had a backlog of more than 1,100 use of force cases. Monday’s report says the team “will require additional staff resources if the backlog is to be eliminated.”
The police department’s Internal Affairs Division also has a backlog of misconduct investigations, the report says. Minneapolis police are in the process of hiring a vendor to address the backlogs, according to the report.
Federal consent decree remains uncertain
The city negotiated a federal consent decree last month with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). The negotiations were prompted by a DOJ investigation into Minneapolis police released in 2023 that found patterns of discriminatory policing, particularly against Black and Native residents. The federal investigation was also sparked by Floyd’s murder.
The consent decree needs approval from a federal judge to move forward, which has yet to occur.
Community activists had expressed concerns about the fate of the federal consent decree if it wasn’t finalized before President Donald Trump took office.
The Associated Press reported last month that the Trump administration ordered a freeze on civil rights litigation and may reconsider consent decrees put in place under former President Joe Biden. Shortly afterward, a Minneapolis spokesperson released a statement saying the city will move forward with terms of the federal consent decree “with or without the federal government.”
Minneapolis Community Safety Commissioner Todd Barnette said Monday he could not predict the outcome of the federal proceedings, but said the city is committed to reforms.
“The most important thing, regardless of what happens at the federal level, we have a state consent decree,” he said. “We’re moving forward with our plans and goals for a sustainable police department with reform.”
O’Hara said some of the reforms outlined in the federal consent decree mirror requirements that are already in the state consent decree.
“In a lot of areas where there are differences, it’s just adding a couple of other things from what we’re doing — adding eight hours more training here, creating a new training program there,” O’Hara said.
Community activists have stressed that a federal consent decree would be another layer of oversight, and that the state agreement is limited to enforcing the Minnesota Human Rights Act.
If a federal consent decree is approved, Minneapolis would be the only city in the country under a federal and state consent decree at the same time.
