Police accountability advocates disappointed by deal at Minnesota Capitol

Minnesotans pushing for police accountability called a public safety deal at the State Capitol a disappointment, while Republicans touted it as a way to help law enforcement do their job.

Police will have new regulations on no-knock warrants and how they work with confidential informants under the agreement, and there is an updated expectation for mental health crisis teams to help respond to some emergencies. But many of the more controversial proposed policing changes were left out of the bill.

"We made a commitment to not take any anti-police measures or make it harder for law enforcement to keep people safe. The recent increase in violent crime has all of us on edge, but this agreement keeps our promise," Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, R-East Gull Lake, said in a statement.

He highlighted plans to increase pay for state law enforcement and have tougher penalties for people who injure officers, among other provisions.

The public safety and judiciary budget deal is a product of months of legislative debate and testimony from law enforcement officials concerned about new mandates and their ability to address crime and from police reform advocates pressing for greater accountability after the police killings of George Floyd, Daunte Wright and others.

Families whose loved ones were killed by law enforcement are hurt and upset by the legislation, Toshira Garraway wrote in a message to Gov. Tim Walz and legislators after finding out what was in the public safety bill.

"Our families have told you what we need to heal. Our lives and our children's lives are on the line. I'm in tears right now. We come to you all and re-traumatize ourselves all to get NOTHING that hold these officers accountable for stealing our loved ones from us and destroying our families," wrote Garraway, the founder of Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence.

Her organization was one of many talking to legislators and Walz throughout the process. Garraway said they had hoped lawmakers would agree to release body camera footage to the family of someone who was killed by police within 48 hours and lift the statute of limitations for such families to bring a case against officers.

"It's a great disappointment to me," House Public Safety Committee Chairman Carlos Mariani, DFL-St. Paul, said of the "number of common-sense proposals" related to police accountability that the politically divided Legislature could not agree on. Proposals to prohibit law enforcement from affiliating with white supremacist groups and block them from pulling drivers over for certain minor infractions failed to make the final deal.

However, Mariani noted there is a provision that will help the Police Officer Standards and Training Board build a database that tracks officer conduct, the creation of which legislators agreed to last summer.

The bill extends far beyond police measures, although they have been at the heart of many of the disagreements that have prolonged bill negotiations until the final days of the special legislative session. Lawmakers are facing the possibility of a government shutdown on July 1 and have to expedite the process to wrap up the legislation that was the final outstanding disagreement.

They reached the deal on the public safety and judiciary bill Saturday night, although state leaders said they are still sorting out some details. Lawmakers will be racing over the next few days to finish voting on five other budget bills negotiated earlier.

The public safety and judiciary package would give judges discretion to reduce or waive a surcharge that is automatically applied to every criminal and traffic ticket and can be a significant burden for poor Minnesotans. It also spends $1 million on the creation of a state Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women's Office to investigate cold cases and try to prevent deaths of Indigenous women, a demand advocates have long pressed for, which has been elevated by the recent discoveries of mass graves in Canada.

"That important work will also need to happen in Minnesota," Rep. Jamie Becker-Finn, DFL-Roseville, said of looking into unmarked graves, "in addition to Indigenous women being more likely to be victims of homicide, sexual assault and other types of violence."

A smaller amount will fund the start of a task force addressing missing and murdered African American women. The work on Indigenous women is on to "stage two," while the efforts to address African American women is at the first step, said Becker-Finn, where a task force will work with community members to determine what they think needs to be done.

Legislators also agreed to include the Hardel Sherrell Act, aimed at improving protection and care for jail inmates.

It was named after a man who, according to letters from jail health care workers, died after Beltrami County jail staff said he was faking an illness and refused to help him.

The public safety bill is scheduled to get a final House vote Tuesday.

Jessie Van Berkel • 651-925-5044