Minneapolis agrees to police reform deal following George Floyd probe

The city of Minneapolis has agreed to a series of police reforms after a probe from the Justice Department in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd.  

A court-enforceable agreement known as a consent decree requires Minneapolis to focus on preventing excessive force and to seek immediate medical care for anyone injured during police interactions. 

The consent decree, announced late Monday, also requires the department to focus on ending racially discriminatory policing and discrimination against those with disabilities. It further calls on police to avoid using handcuffs on children younger than 14 and restricts certain police tactics during protests.

“This agreement places the City of Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Police Department on a path toward achieving the significant reforms, lawful policing, and appropriate emergency response services that the residents of Minneapolis deserve,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. 

“As I said last summer when I announced the findings of this investigation — George Floyd should be alive today. This agreement is an important step toward ensuring that meaningful, durable reform is achieved in Minneapolis.”

The Department of Justice (DOJ) began investigating the Minneapolis Police Department in April 2021 after Floyd, who was Black, was murdered by white police officers. Floyd’s killing sparked worldwide protests with many demanding police reform. 

The DOJ found that the department uses excessive force, including unjustified deadly force and unreasonable use of tasers; discriminates against Black Americans and Native Americans in enforcement; violates the rights of people engaged in protected speech; and, along with the city of Minneapolis, discriminates against people with behavioral health disabilities. 

Now, the DOJ has called on the Effective Law Enforcement For All team to serve as an independent monitor to ensure the requirements of the decree are being implemented. The team will monitor and publicly report on the city’s implementation efforts. 

“The people of Minneapolis deserve constitutional policing, bias-free public safety efforts, and effective emergency response services,” said Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The consent decree we unveil today marks a new chapter for Minneapolis, a city still healing following the tragic death of George Floyd.”

Minneapolis is the second U.S. city to reach an agreement following an investigation started under President Biden’s Justice Department. Louisville, Ky., reached a settlement with the DOJ in December. 

It is unclear whether such investigations will continue under the incoming Trump administration. 

In his first term, Trump limited the use of pattern-or-practice investigations and attempted to challenge previously negotiated court agreements.