Review: State and local law enforcement didn't coordinate quickly enough during Minneapolis riots - Star Tribune
State and local law enforcement didn't act quickly enough to coordinate after riots broke out in Minneapolis after George Floyd's killing and response teams lacked "clear, experienced" leadership during the unprecedented level of destruction, according to an external review of the state's response.
The after-action review of the unrest that broke out in May and June 2020 also pointed to "insufficient" engagement from Minneapolis police with coordinated efforts, and in the event of future unrest, cited a need to improve the timeliness of communication with cities about the deployment of the Minnesota National Guard.
"Although these state-level entities were better equipped to respond to this particular crisis than local jurisdictions due to their training, equipment, and number of officers, they did not have experience responding to a large-scale civil disturbance and extended period of civil unrest such as what occurred in Minneapolis after Mr. Floyd's murder," read the report released Thursday morning.
The nearly 130-page external report from Wilder Research was contracted by the state Department of Public Safety in February 2021 to "objectively evaluate what the state did well and did not do well." The report also outlines recommendations to respond to possible future unrest.
"The unrest and rioting in May-June 2020 were unexpected and unprecedented in terms of size, scale, types of acts, and duration," Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington wrote in a letter to Gov. Tim Walz dated March 30.
Harrington used the report's release to urge passage of Walz's public safety budget recommendations, which include $300 million for public safety funding for local governments and $500,000 for Harrington's department to train local elected officials "on initiating the emergency response and requests for state coordination and assets."
The report also noted law enforcement sometimes didn't distinguish between peaceful protesters and violent demonstrators in their response.
Harrington wrote that the Department of Public Safety conducted its own internal reviews of law enforcement responses to civil unrest, including the April 2021 unrest in Brooklyn Center that followed the police killing of Daunte Wright.
The commissioner noted that his department has meanwhile contracted with an independent consultant called 21CP Solutions "to assist us with a report and technical support on working with both the established media and others who report on civil unrest."
A recent outside review of the city of Minneapolis' response found city leaders failed to follow emergency protocols when responding to the protest and riots that broke out.
State legislators will review the report's findings in a Thursday hearing.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Read the report below:
source: https://www.startribune.com/review-state-and-local-law-enforcement-didnt-coordinate-quickly-enough-during-minneapolis-riots/600161001/
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