Minneapolis OKs police reform deal with the U.S. government in the wake of George Floyd's murder
![Minneapolis Police A police officer points a hand cannon at protesters who have been detained pending arrest on South Washington Street in Minneapolis, May 31, 2020, as protests continued following the death of George Floyd. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2025/1/6/minneapolis-police-1-7166306-1736201017446.jpg)
The Minneapolis City Council on Monday approved an agreement with the federal government to overhaul the city's police training and use-of-force policies in the wake of the murder of George Floyd.
The deal incorporates and builds on changes the Minneapolis Police Department has made since Floyd, a Black man, was killed by a white officer in 2020, prompting a national reckoning with police brutality and racism.
The 171-page agreement, filed in federal court shortly after the council voted 12-0 to approve it, says the department will require its officers to “promote the sanctity of human life as the highest priority in their activities." It says officers must ”carry out their law enforcement duties with professionalism and respect for the dignity of every person." And it says they must not allow race, gender or ethnicity “to influence any decision to use force, including the amount or type of force used.”
The agreement, known as a consent decree, will put the department under long-term court supervision. It had been under negotiation since the Department of Justice issued a scathing critique of the city’s police in June 2023.
Department officials alleged that police engaged in systematic racial discrimination, violated constitutional rights and disregarded the safety of people in custody for years before Floyd was killed. The report was the result of a sweeping two-year investigation that confirmed many citizen complaints about police conduct. It found that Minneapolis officers used excessive force, including “unjustified deadly force,” and violated the rights of people engaged in constitutionally protected speech.
“George Floyd’s death was not just a tragedy, it was a galvanizing force for the city and for the nation," Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said at a news conference. "All eyes remain on Minneapolis, and with this consent decree, we now have a roadmap for reform that will help this community heal while strengthening trust between law enforcement and the people they serve.”
An independent monitor will oversee the changes and a judge must approve them. A hearing has not yet been scheduled, but officials hope that approval comes quickly.
During his first administration, President-elect Donald Trump was critical of consent decrees as anti-police. Finalizing the Minneapolis agreement before he returns to office Jan. 20 would make it harder for him to undercut the deal, because changes would require court approval. Clarke declined to predict how vigorously the incoming administration will or won't try to enforce the consent decree.
The council's brief public vote followed an hourslong closed-door discussion.
“I’d like to thank our community for standing together, united in this, and for having patience with us as we have traveled a very, very long and challenging journey," Council President Elliott Payne said after the vote. "We’re just beginning, and we know we have a long way to go. Our success will only be realized when we all work together on what is arguably one of the most important issues in the life of our city.”
Council member Robin Wonsley said in a statement before the vote that she has “no faith that the Trump administration will be a serious partner" in implementing the agreement.
“Having a federal consent decree signed and in place is valuable to police reform efforts, but we need to be sober about the fact that it will take local political will to hold the city and the (Mayor Jacob) Frey administration accountable to implementing and enforcing the terms of the consent decree,” she said.
A state court judge in 2023 approved a similar agreement between Minneapolis and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights after the state agency issued its own blistering report in 2022. The state investigation found that the city's police had engaged in a pattern of race discrimination for at least a decade.
The Justice Department has opened 12 similar investigations of state and local law enforcement agencies since April 2021, many in response to high-profile deaths at the hands of police. Assuming court approval, Clarke said, the department will be enforcing 16 policing “pattern and practices” settlements across the country. She said 30 years of experience shows that they lead to “important and tangible progress toward better, safer, and lawful policing.”
The department has reached agreements with Seattle, New Orleans, Baltimore, Chicago and Ferguson, Missouri. A consent decree with Louisville, Kentucky, after an investigation prompted by the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor is waiting court approval. In Memphis, Tennessee, the mayor last month pushed back against pressure for a consent decree there, saying his city has made hundreds of positive changes since the beating death of Tyre Nichols.
Consent decrees require law enforcement to meet specific goals before federal oversight is removed, a process that often takes years and millions of dollars. A major reason Minneapolis hired Brian O’Hara as police chief in 2022 was his experience implementing a consent decree in Newark, New Jersey.
O'Hara noted that the city would be the first in the country to operate under both federal and state consent decrees. He said they showed in Newark that consent decrees can lead to meaningful change.
“We are not going to just comply with its terms, but we will exceed expectations and we will make change real for people on the street," the chief said. “Together, we will make Minneapolis a place where everyone feels safer, and they know that Minneapolis cops will have their back.”
The mayor told reporters that officers will rise to the occasion.
“I trust the members of this department to show up every day, that you will be committed to being the change reflected in this agreement,” Frey said. “You have the ability, you have the obligation, and you have the responsibility to set the tone. Show the rest of the country, in fact, the rest of the world, what good constitutional policing looks like."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.7171985.1736551012!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
BREAKING Liberal leadership: Carney expected to launch bid next week, Clark organizing heavily, Gould considers entering
While longtime cabinet ministers Dominic LeBlanc and Melanie Joly have officially announced they have no plans to run for the Liberal leadership, several well-known faces are organizing behind the scenes to launch bids of their own.
Amid tense backdrop, Canadian warship gets friendly message from Chinese vessel tracking movements
Daybreak on HMCS Ottawa began with a call over the marine radio from a Chinese warship. The call is coming from a Chinese Frigate known as the Yuncheng, the warship has been shadowing HMCS Ottawa through the South China Sea for two days and counting.
Man dies after falling into sink hole at Fernie Alpine Resort
An investigation is underway by Elk Valley RCMP after a man died Wednesday after falling into a sink hole at Fernie Alpine Resort.
Liberal leadership: Melanie Joly, Brian Gallant will not run, both focused on other matters
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly will not run for Liberal leadership. Up to now, Joly was widely considered a potential successor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Former premier of New Brunswick Bran Gallant also confirmed to CTV News that he will not be in the running for Liberal leader.
'Everything is gone': Sask. business owner loses Los Angeles home to wildfires
A Saskatchewan business owner lost her Los Angeles home as wildfires ravage parts of the city.
Trump gets no-penalty sentence in his hush money case, while calling it 'despicable'
U.S. president-elect Donald Trump was sentenced Friday to no punishment in his historic hush money case, a judgment that lets him return to the White House unencumbered by the threat of a jail term or a fine.
'Devastating beyond words': Paris Hilton shows remnants of home destroyed by L.A. fire
Socialite Paris Hilton shared a video showing her ravaged house, destroyed by the L.A. wildfires., 'I’m standing here in what used to be our home, and the heartbreak is truly indescribable,' Hilton wrote on Instagram.
School software hack hits school boards across six Canadian provinces
School boards across Canada are grappling with the fallout from a significant cyberattack on PowerSchool, a widely used administration software platform.
Gastroenteritis at the University of Guelph: 190 students reportedly sick
The number of gastroenteritis cases at the University of Guelph has risen to 190.
Local Spotlight
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.7170443.1736463769!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
'One-of-a-kind' fire-breathing dragon sculpture takes over Winnipeg yard
A Winnipeg sculptor’s latest creation could also double as a house guard.
'Really unique': Ice core drilled by U of M scientist could unlock climate history
A Manitoba researcher was part of a historic research team that uncovered the oldest ice core ever retrieved.
'Loving each other, building memories:' B.C. couple facing life-threatening illnesses cherishes every day
Hayley and Bill Atkinson’s love story begins that night he abruptly left in the middle of playing a card game with friends, and didn’t return for a long time.
Long live the King: N.B. tribute artist to honour Elvis' 90th birthday with special performance
Though it has been nearly five decades since Elvis' death, his music and influence continue to inspire fans around the world, including tribute artist Thane Dunn of Moncton, N.B.
4 generations on 1 lot: One family's creative response to B.C.'s housing crisis
A single lot in Delta, B.C., that used to be home to a single rancher built in the 80s is the site of four separate homes, housing four generations of the same family.
'Unacceptable': Removal of beaver dam in Manitoba community sends surge downstream
The removal of a beaver dam in a rural Manitoba community is having some unintended consequences, sending a small flood downstream, catching residents off-guard.
Project Linus: Moncton group marks 15 years of handing out blankets to thousands of children
For 15 years, those who volunteer for the Greater Moncton chapter of Project Linus have been making blankets for children who need comfort at challenging time in their lives.
Social media-famous corgi from Kitchener, Ont. rescues owner
A captivating canine is being hailed as a hero after one of his owners took a terrifying fall.
These 90-year-old identical twins were born on a Saskatchewan farm, but grew to love the city
Rose Worona and Anne Skwarchuk were born in 1935 on a farm near Hafford. Now, they’re celebrating their 90th birthday together.