Probe Finds Minneapolis Police Department Engages in A Pattern of "Race-Based Policing" and Discrimination
4/27/2022-Written by S.J.
Days after George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, the Minnesota Department of Human Rights launched an investigation into the practices of the city’s police department. According to a 72-page report made public earlier today, the MDHR’s extensive 2-year investigation found that “the City and MPD engage in a pattern or practice of race discrimination in violation of the Minnesota Human Rights Act.”
The report detailed that the Minneapolis Police Department conducted “traffic stops, searches, citations, and arrests” at a significantly higher rate when they involved people of color–specifically members of the Black community. Additionally, the use of force and officer-involved deaths were also pointedly higher in instances involving people of color.
The report states the Minneapolis Police Department “disproportionately killed community members of color and Indigenous community members.”
The report also holds elected officials and city leaders responsible for their lack of action, claiming “City and MPD leaders have been aware of the long-standing, disproportionate impact of race-based policing on people of color and Indigenous individuals, especially Black individuals.”
As part of the investigation, the Minnesota Department of Human Rights reviewed 700 hours of footage from police body cameras, almost 480,000 pages worth of documents from both the city and the police department, as well as social media accounts run by officers. In addition, the MDHR observed nearly 90 hours of new officer training and went on several ride-alongs with officers from multiple precincts.
Below are some key takeaways from MDHR’s report. The full report can be accessed here:
13 of the 14 individuals killed by the MPD since 2010 were “people of color or Indigenous individuals.” For reference, the report points out “people of color and Indigenous individuals comprise approximately 42% of the Minneapolis population, but comprise 93% of all MPD officer-involved deaths” during that time frame.
“When comparing Black and white individuals in similar circumstances, MPD officers are almost two times as likely to search Black individuals or their vehicles.”
“When comparing Black and white individuals in similar circumstances, MPD officers are nearly 1.5 times more likely to issue a citation to Black individuals.”
“In disorderly conduct cases, MPD officers are more likely to use soft tactics against white individuals and chemical irritants against Black individuals.” Soft tactics include joint manipulation and escort holds and are considered to be “the lowest level of physical force possible.” Chemical irritants, on the other hand, include more violent tactics such as pepper spray and tear gas.
“MPD maintains a culture where MPD officers consistently use racist, misogynistic, and disrespectful language and are rarely held accountable.” According to documents, footage, reports and statements, MPD officers including those in leadership positions such as supervisors, used slurs such as–but not limited to–“n*****s,” “Black b****es,” “monkeys,” “orangutans,” “beaners,” “cattle,” and “nappy head.”
“MPD uses covert social media to target Black leaders, Black organizations, and elected officials without a public safety objective.” Officers did not use similar methods to surveil white people, nor did they use such methods to surveil white supremacist or white nationalist groups.
“MPD provides deficient training and guidance for its officers, which exacerbates a pattern of discriminatory, race-based policing.” Problematically, the MPD creates its own sets of training curriculum and uses internal staff members as trainers. Moreover, trainers are not required to obtain a general instructor certification. Because the training is often handled internally, race-based policing, a “culture of unquestioned compliance” and bias is being taught from one generation of officers to the next. The report points out, “This culture of unquestioned compliance also means that veteran officers set the tone that MPD officers take with community members – positioning community members as the enemy.”
“The City fails to provide individuals of all racial backgrounds accused of crimes with evidence relevant to their defense, and this failure disproportionately affects Black individuals who are arrested and charged at higher rates.”
“Officers are not held accountable because of ineffective accountability and oversight systems, which contribute to a pattern of discriminatory policing.” The report cites several reasons for the lack of accountability such as complaints not being properly investigated, Internal Affairs lacking sufficient training on race-based policing, and the department allowing too much time to pass before investigating complaints.
The Minnesota Department of Human Rights’ findings support what members of Minneapolis communities of color have known all along–Minneapolis police officers engage in a violent and historical pattern of racial discrimination. Coupled with the department’s lack of accountability and the city’s complacency, communities of color are disproportionately suffering at the hands of the Minneapolis Police Department.