MINNEAPOLIS — The Minneapolis Police Department routinely engaged in a pattern of racist and abusive behavior that deprives people of their constitutional rights, according to new findings of a Justice Department investigation initiated by the murder of George Floyd three years ago.
Among the findings of the 92-page report, which follows an investigation launched in April 2021, the department uses excessive force, including unjustified deadly force, unlawfully discriminates against Black and Native American people, and violates the rights of people engaged in protected free speech. The department and city also discriminate against people with behavioral health disabilities when responding to calls.
"For years, MPD used dangerous techniques and weapons against people who committed at most a petty offense and sometimes no offense at all. MPD used force to punish people who made officers angry or criticized the police," according to the report from the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice released Friday. "MPD patrolled neighborhoods differently based on their racial composition and discriminated based on race when searching, handcuffing, or using force against people during stops. The City sent MPD officers to behavioral health-related 911 calls, even when a law enforcement response was not appropriate or necessary, sometimes with tragic results. These actions put MPD officers and the Minneapolis community at risk."
