Minneapolis City Council will review possible consent decree with DOJ at Monday meeting

    MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Minneapolis City Council will hold a special meeting Monday over a tentative deal between the city and the U.S. Department of Justice.

If approved, it could bring expansive police reforms to the city.

It comes five years after the murder of George Floyd sparked outrage in Minneapolis and around the world.

The closed door meeting starts at 8:30 a.m. The city said the council will be briefed on a tentatively agreed upon consent degree, a legally binding document mandating major changes in the city's police department.

In 2023, the DOJ issued a harsh 89-page report that showed a yearslong pattern of racial discrimination. The department found MPD used excessive force, including unjustified deadly force, and discriminated against Black and Native American people, as well as people with behavioral health disabilities.

The Minneapolis police chief said what's happening isn't new, as the department has been under a court-enforceable agreement for the last year, which is essentially the state's version of a consent decree.

Chief Brian O'Hara said he's confident the department will be able to implement the DOJ's possible resolutions moving forward.

"I want not just what's in these documents. I want what's right for our officers and what's right for our community and that is how people are experiencing policing on the street and I think we've made great progress with that this year," O'Hara said.

The local group Communities United Against Police Brutality is expected to be at the closed door meeting and leaders there plan to share their thoughts after.

While the council may vote on the consent decree after the meeting, council members could also choose to take more time to review it.