INSIDER
Police chiefs hail Chauvin verdict as a key step to healing
Read full article: Police chiefs hail Chauvin verdict as a key step to healingLaw enforcement leaders say the conviction of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin for George Floyd's death is a step toward restoring trust in the criminal justice system and repairing relations with communities.
'Blue wall of silence' takes hit in Chauvin's murder trial
Read full article: 'Blue wall of silence' takes hit in Chauvin's murder trialPolice accused of wrongdoing can usually count on the blue wall of silence — protection from fellow officers that includes everything from shutting off body cameras to refusing to cooperate with investigators.
Police official: Chauvin trained to avoid neck pressure
Read full article: Police official: Chauvin trained to avoid neck pressureJurors at the murder trial of ex-Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin have been told that he received extensive training in how to defuse tense situations and how to properly restrain suspects.
Police chief: Kneeling on Floyd’s neck violated policy
Read full article: Police chief: Kneeling on Floyd’s neck violated policyThe Minneapolis police chief says now-fired Officer Derek Chauvin violated departmental policy in pinning his knee on George Floyd’s neck and keeping him down after Floyd had stopped resisting and was in distress.
Warrant: Officers tried to buy gun from man shot by police
Read full article: Warrant: Officers tried to buy gun from man shot by policeAuthorities had previously said that Idd was being sought in a weapons investigation, but the search warrant documents provided the first detailed account of why police were focused on Idd. The documents did not say whether the gun was the same type that investigators were trying to buy. In the search warrant application, BCA Special Agent Brandon Johnson said the informant told police that Idd had firearms at his home. Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill, who is presiding over the cases of four ex-Minneapolis police officers charged in Floyd's death, approved the search warrant. He has said that officers would not initially tell them the reason for the search and that Idd was dead.
Minneapolis police release officer video in fatal shooting
Read full article: Minneapolis police release officer video in fatal shootingArradondo said the man was stopped as part of a weapons investigation, but he said he had no other details. Arradondo moved to release the video far earlier than usual, saying he wanted people to see it for themselves even as the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigates. Bayle Gelle, of Eden Prairie, told the Star Tribune on Thursday that the dead man was Idd, his son. Floyd's death sparked days of sometimes violent protest that spread around the country and resonated worldwide. In Minneapolis, Floyd's death also led to a push for radical change in the police department, long criticized by activists for what they called a brutal culture that resisted change.
Misinformation, police mistrust stir unrest in Minneapolis
Read full article: Misinformation, police mistrust stir unrest in MinneapolisMinnesota National Guard soldiers stand watch along the famous Nicollet Mall Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020, in downtown Minneapolis. An emergency curfew expired and downtown Minneapolis was calm Thursday morning after a night of unrest that broke out following what authorities said was misinformation about the suicide of a Black homicide suspect. Floyds death sparked protests worldwide, including several nights of violence in Minneapolis. Demonstrators also gathered in Minneapolis this week to protest after Jacob Blake, a Black man, was shot multiple times by police in Wisconsin on Sunday, leaving him paralyzed. Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said Floyds death has changed the way people respond to police incidents.
Minneapolis cops required to report de-escalation efforts
Read full article: Minneapolis cops required to report de-escalation effortsFILE - In this June 10, 2020 file photo, Minneapolis Police Department Chief of Police Medaria Arradondo, speaks in Minneapolis. The Minneapolis Police Department is changing its policy on reporting use of force incidents by requiring that officers document their attempts to de-escalate a situation in all situations, whether or not they end with force being used, Arradondo and Mayor Jacob Frey announced Tuesday, July 14, 2020. (Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Star Tribune via AP File)
Minneapolis cops required to report de-escalation efforts
Read full article: Minneapolis cops required to report de-escalation effortsFILE - In this June 10, 2020 file photo, Minneapolis Police Department Chief of Police Medaria Arradondo, speaks in Minneapolis. Besides requiring that officers report de-escalation attempts, the new policy expands requirements for reporting use of force incidents across the board and orders that officers provide more detail. “These comprehensive reporting requirements will help reinforce de-escalation as the first resort, increase accountability where de-escalation is an after-thought, and provide improved data to head off problematic interactions before they happen," Frey said. Prior to the new policy, there were no reporting requirements for techniques such as arm bars, wrist locks, drawing a firearm or using handcuffs, they said. And officers using authorized takedown techniques or chemical agents will also now be required to follow the same documentation and reporting requirements, as well as tell a supervisor.
Minneapolis police chief says Floyd's death was 'murder'
Read full article: Minneapolis police chief says Floyd's death was 'murder'FILE - In this July 30, 2018 file photo, Minneapolis Police Union President Lt. Bob Kroll speaks during a news conference in Minneapolis. Talk of changing the Minneapolis Police Department is everywhere in the wake of George Floyd's death in an encounter with four officers. It appears to be the first time Chief Medaria Arradondo has used the word “murder” to describe the death. Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter. Kroll acknowledged that widely seen cellphone video of Floyd’s death is “horrific,” but that the union was left “blindsided” by being denied the right to review officer body camera video.
Minneapolis withdrawing from police union negotiations
Read full article: Minneapolis withdrawing from police union negotiationsMINNEAPOLIS The Minneapolis Police Department will withdraw from police union contract negotiations, Chief Medaria Arradondo said Wednesday in announcing the first steps in what he said would be transformational reforms to the agency in the wake of George Floyd's death. He said the contract needs to be restructured to provide more transparency and flexibility for true reform. The review would look at matters such as critical incident protocols, use of force, and disciplinary protocols including grievances and arbitration. Arradondo sidestepped a question about whether he thought union head Bob Kroll, often seen as an obstacle to reform, should step down. Along the way, he and four other black officers successfully sued the department for discrimination in promotions, pay and discipline.
Minneapolis council majority backs disbanding police force
Read full article: Minneapolis council majority backs disbanding police force(Anthony Souffle/Star Tribune via AP, File)MINNEAPOLIS A majority of the members of the Minneapolis City Council said Sunday they support disbanding the city's police department, an aggressive stance that comes just as the state has launched a civil rights investigation after George Floyd's death. Council member Jeremiah Ellison promised that the council would dismantle the department. It is clear that our system of policing is not keeping our communities safe, Lisa Bender, the council president, said. Community activists have criticized the Minneapolis department for years for what they say is a racist and brutal culture that resists change. The move to defund or abolish the Minneapolis department is far from assured, with the civil rights investigation likely to unfold over the next several months.
Why the three other officers in George Floyds death have not been charged -- yet
Read full article: Why the three other officers in George Floyds death have not been charged -- yet(CNN) -- George Floyds brother Philonise had a clear and pressing question for the Minneapolis Police chief on Sunday. Derek Chauvin, the officer seen kneeling on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes, was charged on Friday with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. The state murder trial of Michael Slager, the officer charged with shooting Walter Scott, ended in 2016 with a hung jury and mistrial. In 2016, none of the six officers charged in Freddie Gray's death were convicted of wrongdoing. Floyds death was a homicide by officers who taunted him while holding him down for more than eight minutes, he said in a statement.
Minneapolis police chief says all four officers involved in George Floyds death bear responsibility
Read full article: Minneapolis police chief says all four officers involved in George Floyds death bear responsibility(CNN) -- In an emotional response to George Floyd's family Sunday night, the Minneapolis police chief says in his mind, all four officers involved in the black man's killing bear the same responsibility. "Mr. Floyd died in our hands and so I see that as being complicit," Chief Medaria Arradondo told CNN's Sara Sidner. They chanted walk with us, so he didThe four police officers involved in his death were fired from the department Tuesday. Arradondo's response Sunday came after Floyd's brother asked the chief if he would work to get justice for Floyd. Houston police chief wants to provide escort for Floyds bodyIn a separate interview Sunday night, another police chief, this time from Floyd's hometown, stood in solidarity.
Minneapolis police chief sued the department in 2007
Read full article: Minneapolis police chief sued the department in 2007(CNN) -- The killing of George Floyd isn't the first time the Minneapolis Police Department has faced scrutiny over its treatment of people of color. In 2007, five black Minneapolis police officers alleged that city leadership tolerated discriminatory conduct against people of color, including African American police officers within the department, according to a complaint. Minneapolis PD is once again under scrutinyThe Minneapolis Police Department is again facing questions about its treatment of people of color after Floyd's death at the hands of law enforcement. In an emotional response to Floyd's family Sunday night, the Minneapolis police chief said in his mind, all four officers involved in the black man's killing bear the same responsibility. "Mr. Floyd died in our hands and so I see that as being complicit," Chief Arradondo told CNN's Sara Sidner.
4 Minneapolis police officers involved in death of a black man fired
Read full article: 4 Minneapolis police officers involved in death of a black man firedMINNEAPOLIS – BREAKING NEWS:The four officers involved in the incident have been fired, the mayor of Minneapolis said. Officers handcuffed the man, who "appeared to be suffering medical distress," according to police. The video did not capture what led up to the arrest or what police described as the man resisting arrest. "For five minutes, we watched as a white officer pressed his knee to the neck of a black man," Frey told reporters. "I can't breathe, officer."