LWV Minneapolis is following city and community efforts to reimagine public safety. Learn about the issues and hold your elected officials accountable.
League of Women Voter Interview Programs
Policing: Part 1 – City and policing issues in Minneapolis - a conversation with Nekima Levy Armstrong, July 20, 2020
Policing: Part 2 – Defund the police? Conversation with Kandace Montgomery and Don Samuels, August 17, 2020
Policing: Part 3 – Laws, contracts, and police accountability a conversation with Carlos Mariani, Linea Palmisano, Stephen Rushin, September 21, 2020
Policing: Part 4 – Women on force; mental health training - a conversation with Laura Goodman, Dr. Tanya Gladney, Kris Arneson, November 9, 2020
Policing: Part V – Management and the Federation - a conversation with Dr. Matt Bostrom and Bob Kroll, December 21, 2020
Civic Buzz: The Minneapolis 2021 Budget – Policing, Violence Prevention, and the Community with Chief Medaria Arrodando, Director Sasha Cotton, Sgt. Kristopher Brown, January 8, 2021
General Research and Surveys
Picking Up the Pieces - Minneapolis Case Study, ACLU, April 15, 2015
Picking up the Pieces - Recommendations, ACLU, May 2015
Police officers who have fired a gun on duty: A closer look, Pew Research Center, February 2017
Poll: Only a quarter of Mpls. residents favor city's Police Department, MPT August 16, 2020
Majority of Minnesotans Have 'A Great Deal of Confidence' in Police, Strongly Oppose Defunding Minneapolis Police Department, American Experiment, July 1, 2020
Over-Policed and Under-Protected: Public Safety in North Minneapolis | CURA, University of Minnesota, November 17, 2020
What Will it Take to End Police Violence? Recommendations for Reform, Communities United Against Police Brutality
Working Group on Police-Involved Deadly Force Encounters Recommendations, Keith Ellison, John Harrington, et al., February 2020
Enough Is Enough: A 150 Year Performance Review, MPD150, Expanded 2020
Public Safety in Minneapolis: Community Perceptions of Policing, The Leadership Conference on Education Fund, December 2020
Working Group on Police-Involved Deadly Force Encounters - 2021 Progress Report, Keith Ellison, John Harrington, et al.
Time of Reckoning Series Reports, Healing Justice Foundation, February 2021
Trust in Policing: The Role of White Supremacy, Minnesota Justice Resource Center, State of MN website, February 2021
Disaggregating the Police Function, Public Law and Legal Theory Research Paper Series Working Paper No. 20-03, NYU School of Law, April 2020.
Legislative
H.R.7120 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020, July 20, 2020
Minnesota Police Accountability Act HF-1, Minnesota State House of Representatives, Signed July 23, 2020
HF-2, Minnesota State House of Representatives, August 14, 2020
HF 63 - Omnibus judiciary and public safety finance and policy bill, Minnesota Legislature, Signed and filed June 30, 2021
Executive order on release of body camera footage, Office of Governor Tim Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan, June 28, 2021
Court Orders Minneapolis Police Department to Make Immediate Changes, MN Department of Human Rights, June 8, 2020
2020 House Public Safety Criminal Justice Reform Package Appropriations, Minnesota State House of Representatives, July 27, 2020
Human Rights in Public Safety: Overview of the Legislative Response to the Murder of George Floyd, Chair Carlos Mariani, Minnesota State House of Representatives, June 8, 2020
Qualified Immunity | Wex | US Law | LII / Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, June 3, 2020
Qualified Immunity, American Bar Association, December 17, 2020
Shielded | For cops who kill, special Supreme Court protection, Reuters, May 8, 2020
Hometown Heroes program – more help for firefighters with cancer, heart disease, Session Daily - Minnesota House of Representatives, February 12, 2021
Hardel Sherell Act - Lawmakers learn about 'crisis situation' of inmate deaths in state prisons and jails, Session Daily - Minnesota House of Representatives, February 26, 2021
'Matthew's Law' passes the Minnesota Senate by a unanimous vote, KTTC Minnesota News, March 25, 2021
City of Minneapolis
City of Minneapolis, Fiscal Year 2021 Budget, Police, pp. 434, 437 and Council Member Amendments to the Mayor’s Proposed 2021 Budget, pp. 45-46. 2021 Adopted Budget
City of Minneapolis Office of Violence Prevention, City of Minneapolis website
City of Minneapolis' Youth Violence Prevention Plan, youth.gov
Transforming Community Safety Engagement Process Phase 1 Presentation, Office of Violence Prevention, City of Minneapolis website, January 21, 2021
Get Involved, City engagement process, City of Minneapolis website
Transforming Community Safety Facilitation Guide, City engagement process, City of Minneapolis website
Public Health & Safety Committee, Meetings, agendas, videos; City engagement process, City of Minneapolis website
City of Minneapolis Office of Performance & Innovation, City of Minneapolis website
Police Conduct Oversight Commission, City of Minneapolis website
Police Conduct Oversight Commission Operating Rules October 2018, City of Minneapolis website
Police Conduct Oversight Commission membership and meeting details, City of Minneapolis website
City Charter
Minneapolis City Charter, Code of Ordinances, Minneapolis, MN, November 5, 2013
Charter History, City of Minneapolis website
Amending the Charter, City of Minneapolis website
Government Structure: Report on Interviews with Department Heads, Minneapolis Charter Commission, December 15, 2020
Government Structure: Report on Interviews with Former City Officials, Minneapolis Charter Commission, January 5, 2021
Government Structure Work Group Memo - Summary Options, Minneapolis Charter Commission, January 4, 2021
CH2021-00012 - Government structure charter amendment, Minneapolis Charter Commission
Minneapolis Charter group weighs council's power over city departments, Star Tribune, January 27, 2021
What you need to know about the proposal to end the Minneapolis Police Department, Star Tribune, July 21, 2020
Minneapolis Charter Commission votes to keep first of two police reform measures off ballot, Star Tribune, July 30, 2020
Minneapolis Charter Commission blocks controversial policing proposal from November ballot, Star Tribune, August 6, 2020
Recommendation regarding proposed City Council amendments to the Minneapolis City charter, Minneapolis Charter Commission, November 2, 2020
Report and recommendation regarding proposed City Council amendments to the Minneapolis City charter, Minneapolis Charter Commission, December 2, 2020
Minneapolis City Council group pitches new plan for police, Star Tribune, January 14, 2021
Minneapolis City Council sends proposed police charter amendment to commission for review, Star Tribune, March 12, 2021
Community Organizations
Black Lives Matter - Wikipedia, blacklivesmatter.com, blacklivesmattersmn.com/
Black Visions Collective; How a New Wave of Black Activists Changed the Conversation, New York Times, August 25, 2020
Communities United Against Police Brutality
Mpls For a Better Police Contract
Nekima Levy Armstrong and the Racial Justice Network
Northside residents - OPINION EXCHANGE | Why we Northside neighbors are suing Minneapolis, Sondra Samuels and Don Samuels, Star Tribune, August 24, 2020
Police Training and Recruiting
Police Job Types, City of Minneapolis website
Minneapolis City Council Member Lisa Goodman’s WARD 7 NEWSLETTER, March 12, 2021
Minneapolis Police Department’s 2021 Sworn Hiring Plan including Community Service Officers, presentation by Police Chief Medaria Arradondo, February 4, 2021
Fishel, Deirdre, director, Women in Blue, PBS 2021
‘Women in Blue’ and redefining what it means to protect and serve, New York Times, Feb. 2, 2021
Minneapolis to ban ‘warrior training’ for police, Mayor Jacob Frey says, Star Tribune, April 18, 2020
Minneapolis police union offers free 'warrior' training, in defiance of mayor's ban, Star Tribune, April 24, 2019
Minneapolis Banned Warrior-Style Police Training. Its Police Union Kept Offering It Anyway. – Mother Jones May 28, 2020
Law Enforcement's “Warrior” Problem, Stoughton, Seth, Harvard Law Review Forum, 125 Harv. L. Rev. F. 225, April 10, 2015
Ahead of major recruitment push, Frey, Arradondo and City officials emphasize Minneapolis residency, social service experience for MPD recruits, City of Minneapolis, February 10, 2021
Minnesota State Task Force on Law Enforcement Education Reform Update and Report, March 12, 2021
Minnesota State colleges consider police training focus on anti-racism, Star Tribune, March 17, 2021
Minnesota State Leading the Way to Law Enforcement Education Reform Green-Stephen, Satasha, Associate Vice Chancellor, Minnesota State, Dennis Olson, Commissioner, Minnesota Office of Higher Education, and George Soule, Member, Board of Trustees, Minnesota State, Minnesota State Equity 2030 Blog, May 25, 2021
Police Standards
MN Legislative Reference Library - POST Board
POST Board Advisory Council Meetings and Materials
2020 IADLEST Minnesota POST Audit
State police licensing board to adopt policy on protest response, ban white supremacist affiliation, StarTribune April 23, 2021
Break the cycle: Five changes in Minnesota policing that can be enacted right now, Gina Erickson, Sarah Greenman, Jillian Peterson, and Shelly Schaefer, MinnPost, June 2, 2020
Minnesota police licensing board at center of push to build trust in law enforcement, Star Tribune, July 30, 2020
Police reform: Here’s a different model for officer discipline, Steve Timmer, MinnPost, August 5, 2020.
Police Contract
Contract: Police Officers Federation
Reviewing the Minneapolis Police Contract - and Comparing It With Those of Other Cities, Jones Day, July 28, 2020
Police Union Contracts, Stephen Rushin, Duke Law Journal, March 2017
Police Arbitration by Stephen Rushin, Vanderbilt Law Review, 2021
Mpls For a Better Police Contract, organization website
Recommendations for Changes to the Labor Agreement Between the City of Minneapolis and Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis, Mpls for a Better Police Contract
Minneapolis police officer fired for decorating racist Fourth Precinct Christmas tree gets job back, Star Tribune, August 25, 2020
Opinion | To Hold Police Accountable, Ax the Arbitrators, New York Times, October 3, 2020
How Cities Lost Control of Police Discipline, New York Times, December 22, 2020, updated March 10, 2021
Police Department and the Police Federation
City of Minneapolis Police Department, City of Minneapolis website
Medaria Arradondo, Minneapolis Chief of Police
Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis, Federation website
Bob Kroll, former president of the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis
Department of Justice Releases Reports Focused on Improving Safety and Wellness of the Nation’s 800,000 Law Enforcement Officers, April 17, 2019
Hundreds of Minneapolis residents demand changes to policing, public safety, Star Tribune, December 3, 2020
Minneapolis police union president Bob Kroll announces intent to retire, Star Tribune, January 12, 2021
'Our Goal Is To Reform': Community Leaders Meet With New Minneapolis Police Union Leadership, WCCO/CBS, March 30, 2021
Minneapolis chief: Each agency has own standards for use of tear gas and projectiles to control crowds, April 15, 2021
Mental Health Response, Co-responders and 911
Mobile Crisis Mental Health Services, Minnesota Department of Human Services website
Mental health emergencies, Hennepin County website
Hennepin County Mental Health COPE Program, Hennepin County website
It’s more than just detox — Hennepin County has a new alternative to jail or ER for mental health crises, MPR, September 4, 2019
Working together to interrupt the spiral, Hennepin County Criminal Justice Behavioral Health Initiative Five Year Report, October 2020
Hennepin County 911/Mental Health Subcommittee, Hennepin County Criminal Justice Behavioral Committee, December 15, 2020
MN Legislature: Emergency and Public Safety Communications Statutes, Minnesota Legislature website
Metropolitan Emergency Services Board, 911 and EMS Coordination
8 Hennepin County 911 Systems, State of Minnesota website
Minneapolis 911, City of Minneapolis website
911 Dispatcher Job Description, City of Minneapolis website
Police learn lessons after shooting of mentally ill woman 10 years ago, MPR News, Jun 10, 2011
The Barbara Schneider Foundation
Preliminary Report: Officer Interactions with Mental Health Issues: A Policy Study, May 2016
Sgt. Kristopher Brown, Fifth Precinct Co-Responder Supervisor, PowerPoint Presentation Co-Responder Pilot Project Minneapolis Police Department in partnership with Hennepin County C.O.P.E., 2018
MPD/911 Workgroup Recommendations Presentation, City of Minneapolis website, May 9, 2019
Alternatives to Police Response Final Recommendation, City of Minneapolis website, December 7, 2020
Alternatives to Police Response Kickoff Presentation, City of Minneapolis website, January 21, 2021
Alternatives to Police Response, City of Minneapolis website
Police Social Work in Minnesota - An Essential Community Partnership, Minnesota State University Social Work MSW candidates, April 2020
OPINION EXCHANGE | Mental health professionals are ready to step up for public safety, Star Tribune, December 3, 2020