Minneapolis City leaders highlighted significant progress in police reform efforts announced in the first semi-annual report of the independent evaluator, Effective Law Enforcement for ALL (ELEFA). The report documents the City’s advancements towards compliance with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights (MDHR) Settlement Agreement and finds that the City is on track to meet nearly all of its year-one goals assessed during this period.
“Today’s report from ELEFA underscores years of hard work this administration has put into achieving real, lasting police reform in Minneapolis,” said Mayor Jacob Frey. “While there is still important work in front of us, this positive appraisal of our progress so far is indicative of the unwavering and unanimous commitment we have to just policing. It also demonstrates that we are on the right track.”
Covering the period from March 18, 2024, to September 30, 2024, ELEFA’s report assesses the foundational phase of compliance efforts. It highlights progress made in policy revisions, trainings, misconduct complaint backlogs, and plans for equipment, technology, facilities, and data systems. These achievements are key to transforming MPD’s approach to policing and building a strong foundation for
the next phases of compliance.
“This is the beginning of a long journey that will take time, but the City is fully on board and working diligently towards compliance,” said Community Safety Commissioner Todd Barnette. "The entire community is depending on us to get this right, and this report shows that we’re taking this seriously and working hard to meet our goals.”
“I was hired to lead the great men and women of this department through the important reform measures the MPD must make to meet the demands our community deserves,” said Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara.” As highlighted in the ELEFA report, we made measurable progress through last September, and, since then, we've built on that momentum. I am fully committed to working closely with the monitor to continue to implement the changes needed to best train, equip and support our officers so they can protect our residents with courage and serve everyone in our community with compassion.”
Under Mayor Frey’s leadership, implementation teams with sworn officers and civilian staff from MPD, the Office of Community Safety, the City Attorney’s Office, the Department of Civil Rights, and Informational Technology are focused on achieving full compliance with the MDHR Settlement Agreement. The administration is also investing in a broader comprehensive community safety system, focused on delivering comprehensive, equitable, and constitutional safety services to all Minneapolis residents.
“This work is priority number one for our department,” said Michelle Phillips, Director of the Civil Rights Department. “We have hired the right people to comb through and decrease the backlog of misconduct complaints. Our Office of Police Conduct Review has a new leader in Russell Fujisawa who is already leading meaningful change and reform. The entire team is committed to executing our work with the highest level of integrity and impartiality and in alignment with national best practices, on behalf of the City of Minneapolis.”
“This report provides a solid benchmark in this entire process,” said City Attorney Kristyn Anderson. “This is the very beginning of a process that will help set the standard for policing in Minneapolis. We are in constant communication with ELEFA and the MDHR to move toward full compliance.”
The semi-annual report is available on ELEFA’s website, ELE4A.org. ELEFA will continue to host regularly scheduled community engagement sessions. The next review period will cover work completed between October 1, 2024, through March 31, 2025.
More information and progress updates can be found on the police reform pages.