Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, flanked by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, left, and Chief Brian O'Hara of the Minneapolis Police Department, speaks at a news conference after the Minneapolis City Council approved a settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice approving a federal consent decree, at the U.S. Courthouse in Minneapolis, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (Jeff Wheeler/Star Tribune via AP)
MINNEAPOLIS (KFGO/WCCO) – Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has issued an executive order to codify and accelerate the city’s police reform efforts, following the Trump administration’s recent dismissal of the decree approved by a federal judge.
Despite the federal government’s retreat, the city is moving forward, reaffirming what they say is a commitment to community-driven, transparent, and lasting police reform.
Under the order, the city attorney will identify all reform items from the consent decree that are not already included in or conflicting with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights settlement agreement.
In May, the U.S. Department of Justice and that agency’s Civil Rights Division asked to dismiss police-accountability agreements with the Minneapolis Police Department after the killing of George Floyd five years ago. They also proposed dismissing a similar suit against the Louisville Police Department that came in the wake of killings by officers in those cities.
The executive order by Frey also asks the city attorney to advise on how to allow an independent watchdog of the state’s settlement to also monitor the implementation of these terms. The order will require full cooperation from city leaders and employers in making the changes first laid out in the agreement.
Frey’s order bypasses any approval from the Minneapolis City Council and can be rescinded by a future mayor.
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