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Hello Residents of the Ward 11 Community,
I want to thank you for your patience. I chose to wait to make a statement regarding the shooting by an Officer of Amir Locke (Name as released in the General Offense Public Information Report) that occurred on February 2nd, 2022 until I was able to gather all the information, so that I could share said information with you in the interest of transparency. This information includes the Body Camera Footage which I have linked below.
I want to start by sharing that any loss of life is tragic, and that my thoughts are with the family, friends, and community of the Amir Locke. I also want to acknowledge how this trauma is impacting our neighbors who are Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC) in Ward 11 and throughout our City.
The City of Minneapolis’s Office of Violence Prevention along with their community partner, Restoration Inc. will be holding space for community healing circles in the wake of the shooting by an Officer for the Bolero Flats community. The City of Minneapolis has mental health resources which I encourage the community to take advantage of.
I echo the community's call for transparency. For this reason, I will detail all the information I know below regarding the shooting by an Officer, this information is made available through the Critical Incident page on the City’s website.
Click here to view the Critical Incident page for the February 2nd, 2022 Shooting by an Officer. The Critical Incident Page includes the following information: Citations, 22-022798 General Offense Public Information Report, 22-022798 Incident Detail Report, 22-0004855 Fire Incident Detail Report, 22-0004855 Fire Incident Report, MPD News Release, MPD News Release Photo 1, and MPD News Release Photo 2., Officer Involved in Incident, Public Personnel File for Officer, Employee Complaint Summary for Officer, and an explanatory note about Body Camera, Street Camera, and Squad Camera Footage.
The Body Camera Footage of the shooting by an Officer on February 2nd, 2022 has been released. I will link the page on which the Body Camera Footage can be found here. The Body Camera Footage is traumatic, and I encourage all individuals to prepare themselves before viewing the footage if they so choose. Again, the City of Minneapolis has mental health resources which I encourage the community to take advantage of.
The City of Minneapolis had to follow the following standards in relation to Body Camera Footage:
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The City of Minneapolis is legally bound to follow the Minnesota State Statues regarding Body Camera Footage.
- Per Federation Contract, an Officer must be interviewed before the footage is released to maintain the integrity of the investigation. That interview must happen within 2 days of the incident. The Officer is not allowed to see the footage until after the interview.
- As part of MPD policy, it is the responsibility of the investigating party to release the body worn camera footage back to the involved agency. In this case, the investigating party is the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA). Their role is to act as an independent reviewer of the footage before MPD can provide their own review. Subverting that process could significantly impact the integrity of the investigation.
- Lastly, consideration must be given to the Amir Locke’s family. Body Camera Footage of this nature is incredibly traumatic to view, and the family of Amir Locke deserves the opportunity to view the footage privately before it is released to the public.
I absolutely supported and encouraged the public release of the body camera footage following the standards outlined above. I always support the public release of the body camera footage, as I believe in the importance of transparency, but I also believe in the importance of not compromising the investigation thus compromising our means of accountability, and most importantly – respecting the family of the Amir Locke.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out my office – I have included our contact information below.
Sincerely,
Council Member Emily Koski
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