MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A Minneapolis commission is expected to take up a proposed amendment Wednesday that would dismantle the city’s Police Department in the wake of George Floyd’s death and replace it with a new public safety department.
A majority of the City Council backs the idea, with supporters saying it would do away with a troubled department that has resisted change, and replace it with a more “holistic” and public health-oriented approach to public safety.
If it advances to the November ballot, voters would get the final say.
The 15-member volunteer commission could approve the proposal; reject it; propose a substitute or ask for more time to review it. Rejection wouldn’t be fatal, because the City Council isn’t bound by the commission’s decision. But a delay would be, by making it impossible to get the idea onto November’s ballot.
The City Council’s proposal would eliminate the Police Department from the city charter, and replace it with a “Department of Community Safety and Violence Prevention.” The new department would prioritize public health, with a director who has “non-law enforcement experience in community safety services.” It would still allow for armed police officers, but they would answer to the new director.