The Minneapolis City Council unanimously approved an agreement Monday with the federal government to update police training and the city's use-of-force policies in response to a 2020 police killing. George Floyd.
The agreement also builds on changes made by Minneapolis police since former officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of killing Floyd after kneeling on his neck for nearly nine minutes during an arrest in May 2020. causing riots across the country.
Known as the consent decree, the agreement requires officers to “promote the sanctity of human life as the highest priority in their duties” and “to carry out their law enforcement duties by professionalism and respect for everyone's dignity.”
Officers should not allow race, gender or ethnicity to “influence any decision to use force, including the amount or type of force used.”
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division, flanked by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, left, and Chief Brian O'Hara of the Minneapolis Police Department, speak at a press conference at the US Capitol in Minneapolis, Monday, January 14. 6, 2025. (AP)
The deal will put the police department under long-term judicial oversight. The department had already been in talks with the federal government since the Department of Justice issued a strict reprimand of the Minneapolis police in 2023.
After a two-year investigation, the DOJ accused the agency of engaging in systematic racial discrimination, violating constitutional rights and neglecting the safety of people in its custody years before Floyd's death. The DOJ said officers used excessive force, including “unreasonable deadly force” and violated First Amendment free speech rights.
“The death of George Floyd was not only a tragedy, it was a powerful force for the city and the community,” Deputy Attorney General Kristen Clarke, head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, said Monday at a press conference. . “All eyes are always on Minneapolis, and with this consent order, we now have a road map for change that will help this community heal as we strengthen trust between law enforcement and the public. those they serve.”
The Minneapolis City Council has approved an agreement with the federal government to change police training regulations and the use of force in connection with the killing of George Floyd. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty)
An independent auditor will monitor changes in police training and policies, which the judge must approve.
“I want to thank our community for standing together, coming together in this, and being patient with us as we've had a very long and difficult journey,” City Council President Elliott Payne said Monday after the election. . “We are just getting started, and we know we have a long way to go. Our success will be realized when we all work together on what can be called one of the most important aspects of most in the life of our city.”
In 2023, a federal court approved a similar agreement between Minneapolis and the Minnesota Department of Civil Rights after the agency submitted its report last year. National researchers found that the city police it had been a racist practice 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, including many in response to high-profile killings by police. If approved by the courts, the DOJ would be implementing 16 “model and practice” recommendations for policing nationwide.
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Council President Elliott Payne, center, and the Minneapolis City Council voted to go into closed session immediately after giving a meeting to implement a federal consent decree ordering changes to the police department in Minneapolis, Monday, the 6th January 2025. (AP)
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The DOJ has reached agreements with Seattle, New Orleans, Baltimore, Chicago and Ferguson, Missouri. A warrant against Louisville, Kentucky, in the police shooting death of Breonna Taylor is pending court approval. In Memphis, Tennessee, the mayor last month pushed back against the ordinance effort, arguing that the city has made many positive changes since the death of Tyre Nichols.
During his first term in office, President-elect Donald Trump criticized consent laws, which he considered anti-police.
The agreement in Minneapolis being the last before Trump returns to office later this month will make it harder for him to stop the deal, as changes will need court approval.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.