This is an investigation into discrimination by the Minneapolis Human Rights Department.
Findings of Discrimination
The Minnesota Department of Human Rights finds there is probable cause that the City and MPD engage in a pattern or practice of race discrimination in violation of the Minnesota Human Rights Act.
Specifically, the Minnesota Department of Human Rights finds that MPD engages in a pattern or practice of discriminatory, race-based policing as evidenced by:
• Racial disparities in how MPD officers use force, stop, search, arrest, and cite people of color, particularly Black individuals, compared to white individuals in similar circumstances.
• MPD officers’ use of covert social media to surveil Black individuals and Black organizations, unrelated to criminal activity.
• MPD officers’ consistent use of racist, misogynistic, and disrespectful language. The pattern or practice of discriminatory, race-based policing is caused primarily by an
organizational culture where:
• MPD officers, supervisors, and field training officers receive deficient training, which emphasizes a paramilitary approach to policing that results in officers unnecessarily escalating encounters or using inappropriate levels of force.
• Accountability systems are insufficient and ineffective at holding officers accountable for misconduct.
• Former and current City and MPD leaders have not collectively acted with the urgency, coordination, and intentionality necessary to address racial disparities in policing to improve public safety and increase community trust.
Without fundamental organizational culture changes, reforming MPD’s policies, procedures, and trainings will be meaningless.
Future of Policing 