Mohamed Ibrahim is MinnPost’s environment and public safety reporter. He can be reached at mibrahim@minnpost.com.
Several residents shared their experiences and concerns at the Chicago Lake Transit Station, the Lake Street/Midtown Station and on the trains themselves. They recounted witnessing large groups of people doing drugs openly, unhoused people congregating at the stations and violence, like a shooting on a downtown light rail station.
Minnesota and its 775 fire departments statewide have the second highest proportion of volunteer and mostly volunteer firefighters in the nation, with more than 97% of firefighters in the state being volunteers, according to the U.S. Fire Administration’s National Fire Department Registry.
The POST Board has emerged as a potential avenue for reform and accountability following the murder of George Floyd by a then-Minneapolis Police officer in 2020, and as calls for robust police reform measures went unfulfilled by the divided Legislature.
The use of no-knock warrants by law enforcement steeply declined after Locke’s death. But despite dwindling use of the tactic, racial disparities in who was targeted in those raids persisted.
The bill, authored by DFL Rep. Cedrick Frazier of New Hope, would limit the use of cash bail by the courts for misdemeanor offenses, allowing an offender to be released pre-trial without having to pay.
Several police departments applied to take advantage of the program last year, but since the program began in 2017, fewer than 10 departments have applied for the funding each year.
Much of the discussion revolved around the community’s youth — concern over homicides, carjackings and other crimes, as well as how to prevent that violence through outreach and restorative measures.
The number of documented use of force cases on the city’s dashboard has risen significantly, starting in 2020, a year of unrest and tension in Minneapolis following the police murder of George Floyd. Explaining that increase isn’t so simple.
The rule updates also feature changes to how officers are hired, and how the board can take action against officers’ licenses.
Born and raised in St. Paul and a 24-year veteran of the department, Axel Henry he steps into the job as police departments locally and around the country face heightened scrutiny, and recruitment and retention challenges.
Proposed reform, such as the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, was approved by the previous House in 2021 but would need approval in the new Congress, which is GOP-controlled.
The effort to review off-duty contracts comes more than three years after an audit found issues with them, including a decentralized system where hours are not formally tracked.
Noble and Fresh Energy played a significant role in the passing of the 2007 Next Generation Energy Act, signed by Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty, landmark climate legislation that required Minnesota to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent between 2005 and 2050.
Police accountability through licensing, reforming cash bail and banning no-knock warrants were among the legislative priorities listed by Minnesota lawmakers and officials during a criminal justice forum Monday night.
Outraged groups are calling for the mayor, police chief and city manager to denounce the video, as well as the firings of those involved in making and posting the video.
Harrington’s term included a pandemic and George Floyd’s murder by a then-Minneapolis police officer, which sparked global outrage and calls for racial equity in policing.
Crime and criminal justice reform were top-of-mind for Minnesotans in 2022, but a tough-on-crime message didn’t seem to resonate with voters in November.
Starting at just five social workers three years ago, the program will now have nearly 10 times that number of social workers available to work alongside officers in all 45 cities across the county to more quickly provide resources to residents in need.
The three-year pilot program will have students doing pro bono litigation in firearms law and the Second Amendment in an effort to prevent gun violence and grow the number of lawyers who have expertise in the area.
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