MINNEAPOLIS — The Minneapolis City Council approved an ordinance that would introduce a new way to overlook and investigate any police misconduct complaints.
The ordinance, which passed Tuesday night, would implement a community commission and provide Minneapolis residents the opportunity to serve as a "review panelist" during investigations into any allegations of police misconduct.
“Police accountability is of utmost importance to having a professional, constitutionally sound, respectful Minneapolis Police Department,” said City Council President Andrea Jenkins in a press release. “My colleagues and I worked through several proposals to strengthen this ordinance. I am proud of the work we’ve accomplished with these ordinance changes and thank my colleagues for all the work they’ve put into getting us to this point. This is a living document, and just one step in the march toward an accountable MPD.”
If Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey approves the ordinance, the community commission on police oversight that would be created to "provide a forum for the public to have meaningful engagement in police oversight and shall serve as part of the deliberative review process," according to the ordinance. It will be made up of 15 people — two appointed by the mayor and 13 selected by the city council.
The review panel would be made up of five people, including two sworn-in officers of the police department holding the rank of lieutenant or higher. The other three panelists would be people assigned by the director of the city's Civil Rights Department or members of the Community Commission on Police Oversight.
The review panel will be given the investigative case files and provide a recommendation that will be given to the Civil Rights Department before any disciplinary decision is made.
“The passage of this ordinance moves us one step closer to creating a more effective and transparent community driven civilian oversight system,” said Alberder Gillespie, director of the City’s Civil Rights Department. “The ordinance addresses oversight concerns raised by community, as well as in the MDHR report. Yesterday, we took a significant step forward.”
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