Minnesota to probe Minneapolis Police Department for civil rights violations

Minnesota state capitol.
(Image credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Minnesota's Department of Human Rights is filing a commissioner's charge of discrimination against and launching a civil rights investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department, Gov. Tim Walz (D) said Tuesday.

The decision comes a week after a police officer allegedly killed George Floyd by pressing his knee against Floyd's neck while in custody, sparking nationwide protests against police brutality. "The investigation will review MPD's policies, procedures, and practices over the last 10 years to determine if the department has utilized systemic discriminatory practices toward people of color," Walz said.

Investigators will have subpoena powers, but they likely won't need to wield them, Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero said, since she expects the city to be open with records. The Minneapolis City Council said it would assist with the process and urged the state "to use its full weight" to hold the police department accountable. Read more at NBC News.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Continue reading for free

We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.

Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.

Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.