Minnesota governor aims to increase transparency, accountability in police practices

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) on Monday announced an executive action making changes to policing in the name of increasing transparency and accountability, just days after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced for killing George Floyd.

Walz’s executive action includes funneling $15 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan toward community safety and violence intervention programs, The Associated Press reports. 

It will also make changes to Minnesota’s policy on viewing body camera footage, allowing the families of people killed by officers to view the body camera footage within five days, and it will seek to increase transparency through the Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training.

“Right now, we have an opportunity to create safer communities for all Minnesotans by building a public safety system focused on transparency, accountability, and violence prevention,” Walz said according to the AP. 

“These policy changes and increased investments in safety — together with the Minnesota Police Accountability Act signed into law last summer and the bipartisan public safety plan this legislative session — get us closer to a system of public safety that truly protects all Minnesotans,” he added.

Minnesota has an opportunity to create safer communities for all.

I’m taking action to build a public safety system focused on transparency, accountability, and violence prevention.

With these changes, we take a step closer to a system that truly protects all Minnesotans.

— Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) June 28, 2021

The AP reports that funding will also go toward regulating the use of no-knock warrants, beginning a police misconduct database, creating an office of missing and murdered indigenous relatives as well as a task force for missing and murdered Black women.

Lawmakers are expected to vote soon on the state’s public safety budget bill, and the AP notes that they are expected to approve it.