Four years after the movement to defund the Minneapolis Police Department gained momentum after the murder of George Floyd by a police officer, the city has approved a contract that will place Minneapolis officers among the highest earners in the region, The Associated Press reports. The Minneapolis City Council approved the new contract with department's union in an 8-to-4 vote. The contract, an example of how police departments across the nation are raising officers’ compensation to combat retirements and resignations, includes 22% pay increases over three years. Starting salaries for rookies will now top $90,000 a year. Still, some council members expressed frustration that some of their most ambitious proposals to radically overhaul the police department have fizzled, despite the city being the center of a nationwide reckoning over racism in policing.
In 2020, after Floyd was murdered, Minneapolis emerged as the epicenter of the "defund the police" movement. The ensuing protests and riots reached a peak with the torching of a police precinct, leaving the city in a state of heightened tension. Many officers retired or went on disability after Floyd’s death, claiming post-traumatic stress disorder resulting from the unrest. While activists failed to convince officials to replace the police department with a department of public safety, the force remains well below full strength. The new pay increases are critical for retaining officers and attracting new talent, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said. The department operates under a consent decree with the U.S. Justice Department and a “court-enforceable settlement agreement” with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights. Both agreements seek to revamp policing in the city, including changing policies on the use of force and ramping up efforts to reduce racial disparities in policing.