MINNEAPOLIS — "I am immediately withdrawing from the contract negotiations with the Minneapolis Police Federation," Chief Medaria Arradondo announced Wednesday, adding that he believes the union representing rank-and-file officers in MPD has been an obstacle in achieving reform.
KARE 11 News sent the current 128-page union contract to attorney Phyllis Karasov of Larkin Hoffman, chair of the Labor and Employment Practice Group, to analyze the collective bargaining agreement and point out which parts could be seen as obstacles to enacting reform.
"I think there is some language in here that is unique to a police department," Karasov said.
She pointed to the section on discipline, which she says gives officers advanced notice of allegations made against them.
"And also allows an officer to discuss with other officers who might be involved, what the allegations are and possibly to talk about their versions and make sure they are giving similar and consistent versions of the incident," she said.
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And Karasov also pointed to the section on critical incidents, which she says lays out that neither the officers involved nor officers who witnessed the incident can be asked about it by an investigator.
"So while the facts are fresh in everyone's minds, they don't have to talk to anybody," Karasov said. "If a police officer wants to support a fellow police officer, they don't have to voluntarily give any statements."
Karasov also said when officers contest discipline, arbitrators tend to give officers the benefit of the doubt.
"Arbitrators usually give deference to police officers. Its difficult to second guess how an officer acts in that situation," Karasov said. "It’s natural that a lot of arbitrators are just going to say I’m going to take the police officer’s version."
In a statement, the Federation's attorney Jim Michels asked city leaders to, "Stop repeating the false narrative that the Federation or the labor agreement is an impediment to change."
