Minneapolis Votes to Create Non-Sworn, Unarmed Traffic Enforcement Unit

Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously on Friday for the development of a new Traffic Safety Division, which would be unarmed and separate from the Minneapolis Police Department.

Councilmember Phillipe Cunningham outlined a staff directive regarding the proposed development in a document obtained by the FOX9 Minneapolis  and posted on his social media account.

The document listed four goals of the new traffic enforcement division: Maximizing the traffic safety benefits of traffic enforcement, eliminating racial disparities in traffic enforcement, educating the public on safe driving behaviors and traffic laws, and earning the trust of communities harmed by earlier practices.

The vote comes less than a week after Daunte Wright, 20, was fatally shot by Brooklyn Center Police Officer Kim Potter in the Minneapolis suburb.

Staff from the Office of Performance and Innovation have to report back to the Public Health and Safety Committee with a project timeline for the new division by the end of the second quarter this year, according to the document.