Minneapolis officials and community leaders acknowledge that four years after George Floyd's murder, the city still has significant work ahead to fulfill its commitment to transform policing and public safety. Minneapolis will soon be under two court orders to implement sweeping reforms, Axios reports. They stem from state and federal investigations into claims that the Minneapolis Police Department officers routinely used overly excessive force, especially against Black and Native American people. On July 18, the city council is expected to vote on the latest milestone in the department's overhaul: a new police union contract. "We're finally starting to see tangible" evidence of reform, council president Elliott Payne said — like the selection of an independent evaluator to watchdog city efforts. "But," he added, "we still have yet to see that real change on the ground."
The new union deal includes a 21.7% salary increase that officials say would make city officers among Minnesota's best-paid. Commanders would gain more flexibility over deployment strategies and hiring civilians to investigate crimes — wins for council members who support beefed-up alternatives to policing. The proposal has left some council members torn, in part because it makes these staffing flexibilities temporary. Key advocacy groups are also concerned the contract is largely silent on areas like the police department's practice of referring officers for "coaching" rather than documentable disciplinary action. Rejecting the deal would likely send it to binding arbitration, which could put the city's proposed changes at risk. Mayor Jacob Frey argues that baking more into the contract could tie the hands of Chief Brian O'Hara — whom the mayor believes is responsible for transforming the department.