MINNEAPOLIS— On Monday, a tentative agreement between the city of Minneapolis and the U.S. Department of Justice could lead to widespread police reforms. This comes almost five years after George Floyd was murdered.
Mayor Jacob Frey called for a special meeting with city council members. The special meeting will take place behind closed doors at 8:30 am
The city said the council will be informed of the DOJ’s potential lawsuits and resolution options regarding the city and the police department.
In a one-on-one interview, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara reflected on the violence challenges of 2024 and what lies ahead.
“There have been some positive outcomes, but clearly significant challenges remain,” O’Hara said.
Challenges among the force following the murder of Officer Jamal Mitchell, who was killed in a shooting. Minneapolis also saw four more murders than in 2023.
The city’s top cop says this is for many reasons: An increase in shootings/homicides in or near homeless encampments at a time when officer numbers are low.
“The police department last year reached its lowest staffing level in at least four decades,” O’Hara said.
But he says the department saw promising progress as officers cracked down on crime using new protocols and strengthening community partnerships.
In 2024, almost 1,000 weapons were recovered. Carjackings dropped from 305 in 2023 to 279 and the city saw fewer shooting victims.
This year, investigators also seized more than 5 pounds of narcotics, 1,200 fentanyl pills and $10,000.
O’Hara is now set for a closed-door meeting with the city and the Justice Department about a federal consent decree.
A legal document that mandates major changes in the department.
He took to YouTube to address his department, saying he knows this process – as he has experienced it before – can bring challenges but also opportunities.
In 2023, the DOJ released a hard-hitting 89-page report that found that: years of racial discrimination. The department found that MPD used excessive force, including unjustified deadly force, and discriminated against Black and Native American people, as well as those with behavioral health conditions.
The Minneapolis Police Department is already required to make changes under a separate court-supervised agreement with the state.
That agreement limits the extent to which officers can use force and prohibits certain stops and searches.
Ultimately, O’Hara is ready to lead his department, going far beyond the expectations of the consent decree and working toward a better future.
“I want what’s good for our officers and what’s good for our community and that changes the way people experience policing on the streets,” he said.
