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5/21/2025
Years of work on police reform and accountability will continue
The City of Minneapolis will continue police reform work already underway, despite the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) motion to dismiss the consent decree case more than four months after reaching an agreement and just days before the five-year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd.
On January 6, the City entered into a proposed federal consent decree with the DOJ, outlining policy, resource and training requirements that would, together with the settlement agreement with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights (MDHR), continue to guide the City’s and Minneapolis Police Department’s (MPD) reform efforts over the next several years. The DOJ and the City jointly filed the agreement in federal court, seeking court approval. Since that time, DOJ requested and was granted three consecutive 30-day stays of the court proceedings.
Today, the DOJ filed a motion to dismiss the case. The decision on whether to dismiss the case now lies with the federal judge. No matter the outcome, the City of Minneapolis’ path remains clear – to continue to implement the reforms, apparently without support from the White House.
The City has already begun to implement the reforms listed in the federal agreement and will continue to do so. You can find more police reform updates on the City’s website.
A new report from an independent evaluator shows that the City is making strong progress in police reform. The report from Effective Law Enforcement For All (ELEFA) comes in as Minneapolis approaches five years since George Floyd’s murder. According to ELEFA, the City has made more progress in the first year of monitoring than most other cities have under similar agreements.
The report highlights better policies, more effective training plans, stronger officer wellness programs, and a near elimination of complaint backlogs.
Key progress includes:
- Near elimination of OPCR and IA historical misconduct complaint backlog – all are now in process with 30 complaints closed as of March 31.
- Completing a comprehensive training needs assessment and developing a highly regarded annual training plan that ELEFA notes could serve as a model for other law enforcement agencies.
- Developing and updating key policies around Use of Force, mission/vision/values/goals, crisis intervention, and other areas.
- Incorporating significant resident feedback and input into new and revised policies.
- Expanding officer training programs.
- Laying groundwork for improvements to facilities and data systems.
- Designating 21 officers to serve as peer support members, providing mentorship, outreach and emotional support to officers who may need assistance.
The report evaluates the work done by the City and Minneapolis Police Department from October 2024 through March 2025. It marks ELEFA’s first full-year review of how Minneapolis is following the court-ordered settlement agreement with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, signed in 2023.
ELEFA will continue to hold regular community meetings to update residents on progress. You can find more information on ELEFA’s website.
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