Media Contact

Lynette Kalsnes, lkalsnes@aclu-mn.org, 612-270-8531

March 24, 2022

The Minneapolis City Council has voted to pass the Minneapolis Police Department contract. This was the first city council vote on an MPD contract since the murder of George Floyd. No changes to MPD's contract were made. The contract presented an opportunity for the City of Minneapolis to gather necessary community input on policing. Instead, we were told a contract with $7,000 bonuses for officers (+raises) with no improvements in disciplinary action is the only option. 
 
This contract fails to provide vital police oversight. With no public hearing and no thorough process to address concerns from community members, the approval process also betrays promises of transparency from MPD and city leadership that Minneapolis residents deserve.  
 
While we are deeply disappointed in the final vote to enact the contract, we thank the Council members who voted no and the organizations that led the charge on delaying the vote. Going forward, we will continue in our efforts to hold MPD accountable in every avenue available to us.