Minneapolis City Council Approves Sweeping Police Reform

Mayor Jacob Frey hailed the agreement, which emerged after staggered and sometimes strained negotiations between the city and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights. But he also acknowledged challenges ahead, especially when violent crime flares.

The Minneapolis City Council Friday morning unanimously approved a sweeping plan to reform policing that has the goal of reversing systemic racial bias, according to the Star Tribune.

"This is the legacy of George Floyd," City Council President Andrea Jenkins said shortly before the council unanimously approved the plan, which restricts police tactics, seeks to reduce officer misconduct, and supports the wellness of cops on the street, according to the paper.

Here are some examples of what is contained in the 144-page document.

  • Officers will no longer be allowed to pull over a driver solely for mechanical issues like a broken tail light.
  • The smell of marijuana won't be enough to justify a stop and frisk.
  • Officers will have a duty to intervene if they see a fellow officer breaking the rules. If they fail to do so, they could be disciplined as severely as the officer breaking the rules.

Mayor Jacob Frey hailed the agreement, which emerged after staggered and sometimes strained negotiations between the city and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights. But he also acknowledged challenges ahead, especially when violent crime flares.

An "independent evaluator" will be hired and given a $1.5 million budget to oversee the plan's implementation.

City Public Safety Commissioner Cedric Alexander said some 27 full-time employees will be required in the effort.

The plan comes amid an ongoing federal investigation into similar concerns over the police department. That investigation could result in a consent decree.


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