Department of Justice Consent Decree

January 6th, 2025

Dear Community,

Happy New Year! 

Council is starting off 2025 with an all-day meeting regarding the Consent Decree with the United States Department of Justice (USDOJ). Following the murder of George Floyd and the civil unrest in Minneapolis, the state of Minnesota and the federal government both sued the city for persistent violations of human rights law. The result of these lawsuits are two court-enforceable settlement agreements. These settlements outline a long list of changes and improvements that the city must make in order to correct our history of racist, misogynist, and violent policing. These court-enforceable legal settlements are called consent decrees.

The Minnesota Department of Human Rights (MDHR) consent decree was approved in July of 2023. It is a 140-page list of actions that the city must take in order to bring MPD into compliance with state human rights law. 

The city has been in negotiations with the Department of Justice in an attempt to reach a negotiated settlement for the federal consent decree. In the last few months, our city and federal negotiators worked hard to reach an agreement that could be signed into law before the Trump administration takes office. Council is being briefed on that proposed agreement today. Due to the fact that the agreement relates to a legal settlement, the meeting is taking place in a closed session. I know that transparency around policing and police reform is a high priority for residents, and I will share details as soon as I am able to.

I want to be clear that I have no faith that the Trump administration will be a serious partner in supporting the implementation of the consent decree. Having a federal consent decree signed and in place is valuable to police reform efforts, but we need to be sober about the fact that it will take local political will to hold the city and the Frey administration accountable to implementing and enforcing the terms of the consent decree.

I also want to highlight the critical role our state leaders have played and can continue to play in police reform efforts. Minnesota is the first state to have ever used a consent decree to address systemic racism and brutality in a local police department. Thanks to the leadership of MN Department of Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero, the city is already 18 months into our legally mandated overhaul of the police department. Instead of waiting for action by the federal government, MDHR utilized their full authority to ensure our community would receive accountability from MPD and city leaders. The MN Department of Human Rights and local community organizing are our strongest tools for getting MPD into compliance with human rights law. 

Minneapolis residents deserve a police department that is acting in accordance with constitutional and human rights law. With a $230+ million budget and about 1,000 total staff, MPD has the resources to be able meet all the provisions in the state and federal consent decrees in a timely manner if MPD and city leadership is serious about the importance of this work. 

While we complete the reform work outlined in the state and federal consent decrees, we are also building out a public safety system that keeps residents safe through non-police programs and services. The City Council has led the development of violence prevention programs, unarmed responders like Behavioral Crisis Response, civilian response to traffic incidents and other nonviolent situations, and many other initiatives. These initiatives are also highlighted as positive additions in the DOJ investigative report, and the DOJ encouraged us to continue strengthening and expanding these non-MPD public safety efforts. Minneapolis residents deserve to know that any time they need help, they can call 911 and receive the right responder for the situation. 

I will share updates on the USDOJ consent decree in the first regular Ward 2 Update of 2025, along with updates on comprehensive public safety, housing, and more. Additionally, due to a legislative directive brought by my office last year, Council and the public will receive a Settlement Agreement Update presentation from the City Attorney’s Office on January 14th. 

Sincerely,

Council Member Robin Wonsley