DOJ Announces Findings of Investigation into Minneapolis Police Department's Use of Force and Racial Profiling

The United States Department of Justice has issued a scathing report highlighting widespread abuses of power and systemic racial profiling within the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD). The investigation, led by Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, revealed egregious patterns of excessive force, discriminatory policing, and First Amendment violations. The findings are based on a comprehensive review of over 187,000 traffic and pedestrian stops, in addition to interviews, ride-alongs, and documentation review.

Key Takeaways:

• The MPD uses excessive force, including deadly and less-lethal tactics, against civilians, often without probable cause, resulting in unconstitutional uses of force in 19 police shootings and one in-custody death from January 1, 2016, to August 16, 2022.
• The department frequently uses neck restraints without warning, even on people suspected of minor offenses or no threat, and often employs multiple, successive taser applications without re-assessing the need for further activations.
• The MPD unlawfully discriminates against Black people and Native American people in its enforcement activities, resulting in disparate treatment in stops, searches, and uses of force.
• The police department retaliates against protesters, journalists, and individuals who question or record officers, violating their First Amendment rights.
• MPD and the City of Minneapolis discriminate against people with behavioral health disabilities by responding to calls with unnecessary police force and neglecting alternative, behavioral health-focused responses.

Statistics:

• 187,000: The number of traffic and pedestrian stops reviewed during the investigation.
• 35 percentage points: The drop in daily stops with known race data recorded by MPD officers, starting in late May 2020.
• 0.45%: The percentage of over 100,000 mental health calls resulting in an arrest at the scene.
• November 2016 to August 9, 2022: The period during which the MPD data was reviewed.

Sources:

• United States Department of Justice, press release
• Kristen Clarke, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, remarks
• Ann Bildtsen, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota, remarks