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WHAT CHANGES ARE NEEDED IN THE POLICE CONTRACT THAT WILL LEAD TO AN IMPROVED CULTURE IN THE MPD? WHAT IS THE STATUS OF THE CONTRACT?
The Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis (Federation) and the City of Minneapolis (City) have a contract expiring on December 31, 2022. Negotiations begin in the fall of 2022 with the hope to reach an agreement by year’s end.
League of Women Voters Minneapolis Position
LWVMpls supports action by the city to negotiate changes to the police contract that address concerns discussed in its study including:
- File retention - broaden the city’s ability to retain complaints and investigations in an officer’s file even if there is no discipline, to increase transparency and accountability
- Investigators interviews - eliminate the 2-day cooling off period that allows officers to receive a written summary of a complaint of misconduct two days prior to the officer giving a statement
- Remove supervisors from the bargaining unit that covers the officers they supervise (the rank and file) to reduce conflicts of interest. This requires action by the Bureau of Mediation Services
City’s Engagement with the Community
Mayor Jacob Frey appointed an internal work group, led by Council President Andrea Jenkins, to develop a shared set of priorities for police contract changes. Three listening sessions were held with the community in August and September 2022. The public can also comment through this portal. The city’s chief negotiator explained the collective bargaining process and the city solicited feedback on three topics:
- Accountability
- Mental health of the officers
- Recruitment and retention
The city stated they would schedule a “wrap-up” session to go through the suggestions.
Mpls for a Better Police Contract Recommendations
Members of a community group that has studied and actively pushed for changes to the police contract attended the listening sessions. Its recommendations can be found at Mpls For a Better Police Contract.
New Discipline Matrix to Add More Transparency
Mayor Frey released an updated discipline grid on June 13, 2022 to make clear how police officers will be punished if they break policy. It creates a new category for “E-level” violations which will result in automatic termination. See Discipline Matrix and Narrative - Police - City of Minneapolis