Minneapolis to spend $4.8 million on new precinct
Reaction from Rev. Tim Christopher of the Berean Missionary Baptist Church.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on Wednesday announced an overhaul of police policies with the aim of reducing the amount of force that officers use when making arrests.
Speaking at a press conference, Frey said the new policies will require police officers to “first consider reasonable alternatives before using deadly force.”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey giving a press conference on Wednesday. (Facebook/Mayor Jacob Frey)
“Nothing is more damaging to police-community relations than the excessive or unnecessary use of force against the people that officers are sworn to protect, especially when that force is deadly,” Frey said. “For communities of color, the use of deadly force by police is disproportionately fatiguing and a familiar anguish.”
Frey said the changes are being made with the overriding goal to strictly limit force and deadly use of force to “circumstances where it is necessary to keep people safe.”
The change in use-of-force policies comes three months after the police custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis sparked global protests against racial injustice and calls for police reform in the United States.
The mayor’s announcement also comes one month after Minnesota lawmakers passed a broad package of police reforms intended to address criticisms of law enforcement procedures in the wake of Floyd’s death.
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The new policies include revisions to several sections governing when deadly force is authorized, requirements in higher thresholds for the use of all types of force, restrictions on specific actions and specific behaviors, and new definitions and principles that will be guiding the use of force going forward.
Officers will be required to report instances in which they felt compelled to unholster their firearm or taser and explain why it was justified. The new policies also make a distinction between passively resisting arrest and actively resisting arrest.
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More information on these policies is expected to be released later Wednesday. The policies officially go into effect on Sept. 8.
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