State review faults law enforcement response to unrest after Floyd killing - MPR News
A newly released after-action report offers a stinging analysis of law enforcement response to the civil unrest following the murder of George Floyd in May 2020.
The analysis by Wilder Research was released Thursday morning. It was commissioned by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety to examine the response from agencies including the State Patrol and the National Guard to the unrest that rocked Minneapolis for nearly a week.
The report identifies a number of positive aspects in the response, including the effectiveness of state personnel in protecting the public and infrastructure, and the use of curfews to help restore order.
And the report says the state's command center at TCF Bank Stadium, known as the "MACC," was effective once in operation.
But the report's authors say it was set up too late. And they also find fault with coordination — specifically with the Minneapolis Police Department.
"MPD had an emergency operations center set up at their emergency operations training facility in Northeast Minneapolis and largely remained there," the report authors state. "While they had a couple of representatives present at the MACC, the Minneapolis police chief was notably absent. This led to several challenges, including the initial use of competing law enforcement strategies (e.g., MPD used crowd dispersal tactics while State Patrol simultaneously used contain and arrest tactics)."
An official at the state command center told investigators that Minneapolis police having their own command center "couldn't possibly have demonstrated a more significant breakdown in command and control of an event like that. And to everyone at the MACC, it was very clear that Minneapolis had no interest in being a good partner."
The report also says law enforcement didn't appropriately distinguish between lawful and unlawful demonstrations, and that some community members felt abandoned by law enforcement.
The reports says law enforcement officers used crowd control tactics, including chemical munitions, "in or near residential neighborhoods, including the Little Earth public housing complex. According to some reports, these tactics were used even after city officials communicated with community residents and leaders that it was OK for them to be outside protecting their community."
"The city of Minneapolis and State Law Enforcement did not communicate about agreements with community leaders and residents about exemption from curfew," the report states.
The 129-page report offers 20 recommendations for improving future response, including better planning and coordination and consistent standards for police operations.
It follows the release earlier this month of a review commissioned by the Minneapolis City Council focused on how the city’s public safety officials responded to the unrest.
More reporting to come.
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source: https://www.mprnews.org/story/2022/03/31/state-review-faults-law-enforcement-response-to-unrest-after-floyd-killing
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