By Canadian Press

Minneapolis leaders approve agreement to revamp policing

Mar 31, 2023 | 8:30 AM

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minneapolis City Council on Friday approved an agreement with the state to revamp policing, nearly three years after a city officer killed George Floyd.

City officials agreed to negotiate an agreement after the Department of Human Rights issued a blistering report last year that said the police department had engaged in a pattern of race discrimination for at least a decade. The City Council approved the court-enforceable settlement Friday.

The state agency launched its investigation shortly after Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, knelt on Floyd’s neck for 9 1/2 minutes, disregarding the Black man’s fading pleas that he couldn’t breathe. Floyd’s death sparked mass protests that spread around the world. It forced a national reckoning on racial injustice and compelled the Minneapolis Police Department to begin an overhaul.

Chauvin was later convicted of murder. He and three other officers who were at the scene are now serving prison terms.

The U.S. Department of Justice is still investigating whether Minneapolis police engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination, and that investigation could lead to a separate consent decree with the city.

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The state settlement, which still requires court approval, runs over 130 pages. It contains sections governing the use of force; stops, searches and arrests; the use of body-worn and dashboard cameras; training; officer wellness; responding to mental health and behavioral crises; and others. It requires the appointment of an independent evaluator to monitor compliance.

Steve Karnowski, The Associated Press