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 the wake of the 2020 police killing of George Floyd.
The agreement is the first change Minneapolis police have made since former officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of killing Floyd by kneeling on his neck for about nine minutes during an arrest in May 2020, sparking nationwide riots. It is built by incorporating.
The agreement, known as a consent decree, stipulates that police officers “promote the sanctity of human life as a top priority in their operations” and “conduct their law enforcement duties with professionalism and respect for the dignity of all persons.” I'm looking for.
Police officers must not allow race, gender, or ethnicity to “influence decisions to use force, including the amount or type of force used.”
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Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clark of the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division flanked by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (left) and Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara during a press conference at the federal courthouse in Minneapolis, Monday, January 2. Assistant speaks at a press conference. 6th, 2025. (AP)
The agreement places police under long-term court supervision. The department was already in negotiations with the federal government after the Justice Department issued a scathing rebuke of the Minneapolis Police Department in 2023.
After a two-year investigation, the Justice Department accused the department of engaging in systemic racism, violating constitutional rights and disregarding the safety of people in its custody in the years leading up to Floyd's death. Accused. The Justice Department said the officers used excessive force, including “unreasonable deadly force,” and violated the First Amendment's protected speech rights.
“George Floyd's death was not just a tragedy, but a energizing one for our city and our nation,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clark of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said at a press conference Monday. “Minneapolis remains in the spotlight, and this consent decree creates a roadmap for reforms that will help this community heal while strengthening trust between law enforcement and the people they serve.” .”
The Minneapolis City Council has approved a deal with the federal government that will overhaul the city's police training and use-of-force policies in the wake of the killing of George Floyd. (Steven Maturen/Getty Images)
An independent monitor would oversee changes to police training and policies, which would have to be approved by a judge.
“I want to thank our community for coming together, coming together and being patient with us as we have been on a very long and difficult journey,” City Council President Elliot Payne said Monday after the vote. “We are just getting started and we know we have a long way to go. We all know that our success is probably one of the most important issues in the life of our city. This can only happen if we work together.”
In 2023, a state court approved a similar agreement between the city of Minneapolis and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights after the latter released its own report the previous year. A state investigation found that the city's police department engaged in racist behavior for at least a decade.
The Department of Justice has opened 12 similar investigations into state and local law enforcement agencies across the country since April 2021, many in response to high-profile murders by police. . If approved by the court, the Justice Department would implement 16 police enforcement “patterns and practices” settlements across the country.
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On Monday, January 6, 2025, City Council President Elliot Payne (center) and the Minneapolis City Council voted to go into recess immediately after opening to consider a federal consent decree mandating reforms to the Minneapolis Police Department. (AP)
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The Department of Justice has reached agreements with Seattle, New Orleans, Baltimore, Chicago, and Ferguson, Missouri. A consent decree with the city of Louisville, Kentucky, over the police shooting of Breonna Taylor is pending court approval. The mayor of Memphis, Tennessee, pushed back against efforts to seek a consent decree last month, arguing that the city has made many positive changes since the violent death of Tire Nichols.
During his first administration, President-elect Donald Trump criticized consent decrees as anti-police.
The Minneapolis deal will be the final deal before President Trump takes office later this month, and any changes will require court approval, making it difficult for him to block it.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
