Metro
Top concerns for Metro Transit police-chief finalists: homelessness, diversity
Minneapolis police inspector Eddie Frizell and Metro Transit interim chief A.J. Olson are vying for the position.
Police
Community Voices
Are all police confrontations equal? We need to question justifications for the Blevins shooting
There are plenty of examples where guns are drawn at police and either police don’t fear for their lives enough to shoot the suspect or they shoot but don’t kill the suspect.
Community Voices
Responding to police use of force: What the law says — and what are the alternatives?
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman was correct in not indicting the officers who killed Thurman Blevins. He could never have secured a conviction because the law is on the side of the police.
MNopedia
At close of gangster era, the St. Paul Police Department underwent major reforms
The end of prohibition coincided with some changes in the way St. Paul police did business.
Politics & Policy
Murder rates are down in Minneapolis — but so is the rate at which police are clearing the cases
The decline in homicide clearance rate in the Mill City mirrors a national trend.
Politics & Policy
New Minneapolis police data dashboard confirms that yes, black people get stopped more
The numbers won’t settle any debates about bias and policing. But they’re a start.
Politics & Policy
Is violence against police really on the rise?
You know we’re going to say “it depends.”
Politics & Policy
In spite of reform efforts, Minnesota law enforcement’s use of civil asset forfeiture hasn’t gone down
Critics call the practice “policing for profit.”
Politics & Policy
How Minnesota determines who’s fit — and unfit — to be a police officer
There’s no perfect screening process. But Minnesota police departments do make an attempt to identify would-be officers that exhibit troubling behaviors.
Politics & Policy
The ABCs of the BCA: A look at the agency investigating the Justine Damond shooting
The agency is often called in to investigate officer-involved shootings, but it has many other duties.
Community Sketchbook
Listening in on DOJ’s community listening sessions: ‘We cannot afford another Philando Castile’
Hundreds attended the sessions, held January 9 through 11, but many were skeptical that the Justice Department’s review would lead to any change.
Politics & Policy
Minneapolis is hiring more police officers. Here’s why some advocates argue that won’t make the city any safer.
Advocates want the city to focus on the social factors that cause crimes, rather than just catching and punishing offenders.
Community Voices
What my students taught me
It might sound naïve, but I truly believe that education is key to solving the many challenges we face at the local, national, and even global level.
Community Voices
Why the federal investigation of Philando Castile’s death will fail
Officers can only be held accountable for conscious, intentional bias; implicit bias has no place. Is it time to change the federal standard?
Politics & Policy
Say cheese: Here’s where police surveillance cameras are located in Minneapolis and St. Paul
The cameras are concentrated in areas the departments consider to have issues with crime rates or high levels of use.
Community Voices
Reflections on Philando Castile, policing, and us
I think it’s critical that we take time to grieve, talk, and do some deep introspection about what is wrong and what each of us can do to dismantle racism and help improve police/community relations.
Community Voices
‘Chaos or community’? Let’s choose community
After the events of the last week and a half, we can either come together as a people or move further apart.
Politics & Policy
One idea for improving police-community relations: measure them
For the past two years, the Minneapolis Police Department has been measuring “positive contacts” between police and community members.
Community Voices
On guns, fear, justice and empathy in the wake of Philando Castile’s death
A second kind of justice is already beginning — people empathizing with those whom they’ve viewed as on the other side of a very big divide.
Politics & Policy
What the former St. Anthony police chief had to say about police reform, racial profiling and BLM before he retired in May
Two months ago, I interviewed John Ohl, the retiring police chief of St. Anthony, the head of the department now under scrutiny for its role in the death of Philando Castile.
