MINNEAPOLIS — The president of the University of Minnesota announced Wednesday that she will be changing the relationship with the Minneapolis Police Department following the death of George Floyd.
University President Joan Gabel said she is telling her staff to no longer contract with Minneapolis police "for additional law enforcement support needed for large events, such as football games, concerts, and ceremonies."
She told the University's Police Department to no longer use the Minneapolis police for specialized services like K-9 explosive detection units.
"We have a responsibility to uphold our values and a duty to honor them," Gabel said in a letter to University of Minnesota students, faculty, and staff. "We will limit our collaboration with the MPD to joint patrols and investigations that directly enhance the safety of our community or that allow us to investigate and apprehend those who put our students, faculty, and staff at risk."
According to the letter, the order is effective immediately.
"I write to you to express our overwhelming sadness, and our demands for accountability and justice. Our campuses and facilities are a part of the communities in which they reside. University students, staff, and faculty are day-to-day participants in the life of every community in this state, and we must act when our neighbors are harmed and in pain. My heart is heavy and my thoughts are with the loved ones and friends of George Floyd," Gabel said in the letter.
