The Minneapolis Police Department has disproportionately searched, criminally cited and used force against the city's Black residents, state investigators said in a report Wednesday.
Minneapolis police officers lined up as demonstrators protested the death of George Floyd.
The report by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights accused the city of Minneapolis and its police department of violating state law by engaging in a pattern or practice of racial discrimination.
According to the report, Minneapolis police were more likely to use chokeholds against Black residents than they were against white residents.
Black drivers in Minneapolis were more likely to be pulled over by police than white drivers, and they faced searches and citations during traffic stops more frequently than white drivers.
Black residents accounted for the majority of disorderly conduct and obstruction citations issued by Minneapolis police in the decade ending in 2020, despite making up less than 20% of the city's population.
The report claimed that Minneapolis police set up fake social media accounts to surveil and engage Black individuals, Black organizations, and elected officials unrelated to criminal activity.
The Minneapolis Police Department's culture was blamed for the patterns.
Forbes reached out to the Minneapolis Police Department.
The Minneapolis Police Department has an organizational culture where officers are trained to be aggressive towards community members and INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals
There were instances of Minneapolis police officers using racist, sexist and disrespectful language according to the state report. Local prosecutors said it can be difficult to rely on body worn camera video in court because of how disrespectful and offensive MPD officers are to criminal suspects, witnesses, and bystanders.
The Minnesota Department of Human Rights is led by an appointee of the governor. Better training and more accountability for police officers accused of wrongdoing are some of the changes it recommended.
The Minneapolis Police Department drew national attention in May 2020 after an officer pinned Floyd's neck to the ground for more than nine minutes during an arrest. Chauvin was found guilty of murder last year, and three other officers were found guilty of violating Floyd's civil rights. The death sparked nationwide protests, and brought to the fore older allegations that police in Minneapolis have used force excessively and discriminated based on race. The city of Minneapolis rejected a ballot measure that would have dissolved the police department and replaced it with a Department of Public Safety.
The Department of Justice launched an investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department last year, but it hasn't released any results.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
