A report on how Minneapolis police, fire and other agencies responded to protests that erupted following the killing of George Floyd paints a picture of miscommunication and a lack of planning.
The report by the risk management firm Hillard Heintze describes a breakdown of critical communication among government agencies that left first responders with limited guidance.
The report released Tuesday said Mayor Jacob Frey failed to implement the city's emergency protocols in response to the unrest that followed Floyd's death at the hands of police in May 2020.
Minneapolis has an emergency operations plan that is “well written, comprehensive and consistent with nationally recognized practices,” but the mayor did not ensure that it was properly implemented, according to the report.
Frey has asked city staff to create a plan for implementing the report’s roughly two dozen recommendations, the mayor said in a statement. The report suggests a range of changes to improve communications among city employees, boost police training on crowd control tactics and upgrade employees’ wellness programs, the Star Tribune reported.
“Trainings are underway, new structures are being put in place,” Frey said, “and we are in routine contact with multi-jurisdictional partners to enhance communications and operational preparedness.”
Derek Chauvin, a white officer who held his knee to Floyd's neck for 9 1/2 minutes as the Black man was handcuffed and face down on the street, was convicted last year of murder and manslaughter. Bystander video prompted unrest around the world after it was posted on social media.
Three other officers were convicted last month of violating Floyd's rights by depriving him of medical care.
The day after Floyd’s death, police began using rubber bullets and “chemical irritants” on demonstrators. Poor communication and a frustration with the competency of command staff resulted in an uneven police response, researchers found.
The report's researchers interviewed 90 government employees and community members, watched about 30 hours of body camera video and reviewed about 2,400 documents to reach their findings.
