Judge rules in favor of Minneapolis group that sued for more police officers
By: Celine Castronuovo (MSN)
Who didn't see this coming after the calls for defunding?
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
A judge has ruled in favor of a conservative group of Minneapolis activists who filed a lawsuit against the city in an effort to bring in more police officers after calls for police reform gained traction following the death of George Floyd.
© Getty Images Judge rules in favor of Minneapolis group that sued for more police officers
Hennepin County District Judge Jamie L. Anderson issued a Writ of Mandamus ordering Minneapolis to raise its number of police officers to at least 730 by the end of June 2022, or roughly 0.2 percent of the city's population based on the results of the 2020 census once they are published.
The news comes as the city is projected to have 649 officers by the beginning of 2022, according to Anderson's order.
The lawsuit was filed in August by the Upper Midwest Law Center, a division of the conservative Twin Cities think tank Center for the American Experiment, on behalf of eight north Minneapolis residents.
The group in its complaint said "Minneapolis is in a crisis," specifically citing an increase in shootings and homicides, as well as the destruction of the Fifth Police Precinct during the civil unrest following Floyd's death.
Anderson wrote in the decision that the Minneapolis residents who filed the lawsuit were able to demonstrate that the city's rising crime rate was caused by a lack of officers, resulting in personal injuries. One of the petitioners said they were diagnosed with PTSD after having their house shot at twice.
When reached for comment, a Minneapolis city spokesperson told The Hill that the city attorney's office was reviewing the decision.
The decision comes after Minnesota Gov.Tim Walz (D) on Monday announced an executive action aimed at implementing several policing reforms, including $15 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan toward community safety and violence intervention programs.
The changes also include altering Minnesota's policy on viewing body camera footage to allow families of those killed by police to view the video within five days.
Walz said that he would also seek to increase transparency through the Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training.
"Right now, we have an opportunity to create safer communities for all Minnesotans by building a public safety system focused on transparency, accountability, and violence prevention," Walz said Monday.
Anderson's order also comes just one week after former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison for the murder of Floyd, one of the longest punishments given to a police officer for unlawful use of deadly force.
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Only took a year for them to wake the hell up.
It may be too little too late. It is going take a long time to restore public safety.
So if the city is unable to meet that order due to insufficient numbers being willing to go into a department where they are not supported by either the population or City Hall, who will the judge hold accountable? Considering how badly the political leadership has treated all police I would suspect they will have a tough time finding enough quality officers.
Is the judge going to recruit and pay for them? Is the suing group going to? While some on the Minneapolis City Council did call for reducing the city funding for policing, it never happened. The mayor straight out said he would veto it. The Minnesota State Legislature did pass a modest (and I mean modest) police reform bill by bipartisan vote. It doesn't address police training or try to hold police any more accountable than they already are. It does alter some things a LEO can do - like restrictions on No Knock Warrants and Sign and Release for simple things like missing a court date. The Democrats wanted no car stops on things like expired tabs, but that got dropped by amendment.
Facts for the factless, EG, well done
The babbling that being done is by people on this forum that have no idea of Minneapolis, its history or the number of police lawsuits let alone ever having lived there.
Here's a fun fact - Minneapolis had already paid out more than $44M in police misconduct settlements since 2003. The one for the death of George Floyd raised that total to $71M. One would think that cost alone would bring some change!
Here’s a fun fact settlements by cities are usually collusive deals between liberal trial lawyers and the politicians the democratic politicians they donate to. It’s just another way corrupt Democrats cheat taxpayers.
So settlements in conservative cities are a direct result of collusive deals between conservative trial lawyers and the Republican politicians they donate to. Great news.
LOL. Sure Kavika, point out a republican controlled city whose leaders receive significant donations from Republican trial lawyers.
Show me a Floyd type of settlement. That'll be fun.
You could try and prove that your comment is correct for starters.
Collusion and cheating the taxpayers, are serious charges
The peanut gallery makes another nonsensical claim, but it is expected.
Carry on and get some peanuts for yourself.
You might want to do some research and check out the settlements made in Redding, it's public record.
That’s kind of a shame. I like that idea.
Murders are up 70% in Minneapolis this year. Too many innocent people dead because progressives refuse to deal with reality. Blood is on their hands (as well as the actual murderers, who progressives never seem to blame unless they can be exploited politically)