1/20/2025 -- MPD Union Pushes Back On Consent Decree

🏒It may be cold, but plenty of people are still taking advantage of being outside and enjoying a Minnesota pasttime.

Police

Minneapolis Police Union Challenges Police Reform Decree, Seeks Court Intervention 🚓

The Summary: The Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis (POFM) filed a motion on Friday to intervene in the federal consent decree case between the city and the U.S. Department of Justice. This development comes as the city awaits a federal judge's approval of the police-reform agreement.

Key Points of the Intervention: The POFM expressed concerns about how the agreement might impact working conditions, employment terms, and collective bargaining rights of its members. If granted, the motion would allow the union to formally present its concerns to the judge, federal government, and city.

Consent Decree Overview: The consent decree, reached on January 6, outlines sweeping reforms to address discriminatory policing in Minneapolis. It aims to reform training, discipline, and policies within the Minneapolis Police Department to address systemic problems identified by the DOJ in 2023.

Union's Perspective: James Michels, the police union's attorney, stated that while there are concerns about potential violations of collective bargaining rights, the union agrees with many aspects of the decree, such as increased training and mental health support for officers.

Minneapolis

Minneapolis Police Chief Says MPD Won’t Help ICE With Deportations

The Summary: Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara has restated the department's policy prohibiting officers from inquiring about individuals' immigration status in most cases. This reaffirmation comes just days before President-elect Donald Trump's return to office with plans for mass deportations.

Policy Updates: The updated policy now includes revised language on acceptable forms of identification, such as foreign government-issued IDs and various visa types, including U Visas for crime victims with nonimmigrant status.

Limited Exceptions: Chief O'Hara clarified that officers may only question immigration status in cases of human trafficking or smuggling, where immigration status is an element of the crime.

Rationale for Policy: O'Hara emphasized that community trust is essential for effective policing. He stated that the department has no interest in people's immigration status, as it would hinder their ability to provide public safety if community members feared deportation when contacting the police.

Safety

St. Paul Clears Homeless Encampment Near Mississippi River

The Summary: Last Thursday, St. Paul officials closed a large homeless encampment located near the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary, just east of downtown. The encampment, which housed approximately 40 people, was situated near I-94 at the entrance to the nature sanctuary.

Reasons for Closure: City officials cited unsafe conditions as the primary reason for clearing the encampment. The St. Paul Fire Department reported a significant fire in October that burned six tents, and a subsequent safety assessment revealed poor sanitary conditions and numerous fire hazards.

Notification and Preparation: The city posted a notice to vacate 10 days before the closure. Outreach teams, including Familiar Faces and the Homelessness Assistance Response Team, proactively visited residents to help them connect with relocation options and prepare for the move.

Resident Relocation: Some residents successfully found temporary or permanent housing through city assistance. Others, chose to move to nearby encampments.

City's Stance: Mayor Carter emphasized that while the goal is to get people indoors, the city does not plan to immediately close other encampments. The administration aims to take a compassionate, individualized approach, seeking to understand each person's unique circumstances and work towards sustainable, long-term solutions.

What Else We’re Reading…

Minneapolis Charter Commission Considers Part-Time City Council and Salary Adjustments

The Minneapolis Charter Commission is considering making the City Council part-time, reducing council members' pay, and changing their election method. Currently, the 13 council members are full-time and paid nearly $110,000 annually, which is higher than the median salary of $81,330 for comparable cities. The commission chair, Peter Ginder, also proposed examining the possibility of electing some council members from wider areas or as at-large representatives, potentially altering the current ward-based system.

Sports 🏒 

🏒 The Gopher Men’s hockey team split with Notre Dame. It was a scoring barrage in the first game as they tallied five goals in just the first period.

🏒 The Minnesota Frost lost to Montreal on Friday which put the two teams in a tie for first place in the PWHL standings.

🏀 The Minnesota Timberwolves got revenge on the New York Knicks in a game that featured yet another electric Anthony Edwards dunk. On Saturday they ran out of gas against the NBA’s best team, the Cleveland Cavaliers.

🏒 The Minnesota Wild lost to the Nashville Predators on Saturday. They are still sitting comfortably in the playoff picture.

🏀 The Gopher women’s basketball team eeked out a win over Northwestern after being down by 11 points in the 4th quarter.

Quick hits

Headlines From Around The Twin Cities & Greater Minnesota ✔

❯ A Maple Grove church is tryinv to help the homeless problem but is facing pushback from neighbors (Fox9)

❯ A Ph.D. student says the U of M unfairly expelled him over A.I. allegation (MPR)

❯ A Minneapolis restaurant manager has been charged with raping a 16-year-old bartender (Bring Me The News)

❯ State Fair prices are going up this next year (WCCO)