Minneapolis to overhaul police training, use-of-force policies in wake of George Floyd's murder
The Minneapolis City Council unanimously approved an agreement on Monday with the federal government to overhaul the city's police training and use-of-force policies in response to the 2020 police killing of George Floyd.
The agreement incorporates and builds on changes Minneapolis police have made since former officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murdering Floyd after kneeling on his neck for about nine minutes during a May 2020 arrest, prompting nationwide riots.
Known as a consent decree, the agreement requires that officers "promote the sanctity of human life as the highest priority in their activities" and "carry out their law enforcement duties with professionalism and respect for the dignity of every person."
Officers must not allow race, gender or ethnicity "to influence any decision to use force, including the amount or type of force used."
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The agreement will put the police department under long-term court supervision. The department had already been under negotiation with the federal government since the Justice Department issued a scathing rebuke of Minneapolis police in 2023.
After a two-year probe, the DOJ accused the department of engaging in systematic racial discrimination, violating constitutional rights and disregarding the safety of people in their custody for years before Floyd's death. The DOJ said the officers used excessive force, including "unjustified deadly force" and violated rights for speech protected by the First Amendment.
"George Floyd’s death was not just a tragedy, it was a galvanizing force for the city and for the nation," Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, said Monday at a news conference. "All eyes remain on Minneapolis, and with this consent decree, we now have a roadmap for reform that will help this community heal while strengthening trust between law enforcement and the people they serve."
An independent monitor will oversee the changes to the police training and policies, which a judge must approve.
"I'd like to thank our community for standing together, united in this, and for having patience with us as we have traveled a very, very long and challenging journey," City Council President Elliott Payne said Monday following the vote. "We're just beginning, and we know we have a long way to go. Our success will only be realized when we all work together on what is arguably one of the most important issues in the life of our city."
In 2023, a state court approved a similar agreement between Minneapolis and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights after the agency issued its own report the year before. The state probe found that the city's police had engaged in a pattern of racial discrimination 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 will be enforcing 16 policing "pattern and practices" settlements across the country.
The DOJ has reached agreements with Seattle, New Orleans, Baltimore, Chicago and Ferguson, Missouri. A consent decree with Louisville, Kentucky, over the police shooting death of Breonna Taylor is awaiting court approval. The Memphis, Tennessee, mayor last month pushed back against efforts for a consent decree, arguing that the city has made many positive changes since the beating death of Tyre Nichols.
During his first administration, President-elect Donald Trump was critical of consent decrees, deeming them anti-police.
The agreement in Minneapolis becoming final before Trump returns to office later this month would make it difficult for him to stop the deal, as changes would need court approval.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.