Yesterday Senate Republicans agreed to pass police reform.

The agreed-upon legislation starts with 10 of the 11 provisions originally supported by the Senate in the previous special session, and includes five additional reforms to policing:

• Ban the use of “warrior” style training
• POST Board membership changes to create the Ensuring Police Excellence and Improving Community Relations Advisory Council; adds a member from the public to the POST board Complaint Investigation Committee
• Create a POST board database of public, anonymized peace officer data
• Authorizes local municipalities to provide residency incentives for peace officers to live in the communities they serve
• Establishes an independent investigatory unit in the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension

“This bill has support from police officers, community leaders, and Minnesotans, because it includes only common-sense reforms,” said Senator Mary Kiffmeyer (R-Big Lake). “In my conversations with local police chiefs and sheriffs I learned that they already incorporate several of these tools in their officers’ training. We know that our public safety officers really do want the best for our communities. These updates will just reinforce the good work they are already doing to keep us safe!” 

Last special session, the Senate passed several bills to ban chokeholds, require a duty to intervene, report the use of excessive force by a fellow police officer, and require consideration of the sanctity of life before using force. The Senate also added community members to the POST board (Police Officer Standards and Training) and required the POST Board to create a uniform use of force policy for the state’s law enforcement agencies. To support peace officers, the Senate previously included more training on crisis response and flexibility to seek help from a variety of resources.