[St. Paul, MN] Hennepin County District Court Judge Karen Janisch today approved the court enforceable agreement between the Minnesota Department of Human Rights (MDHR) and the City of Minneapolis (City).

With Judge Janisch’s approval of the agreement, the City and Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) are legally required to implement the transformational changes to strengthen public safety by addressing discriminatory, race-based policing.  

“Today, the court entered the consent decree that was negotiated by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, the City of Minneapolis, and the Minneapolis Police Department,” said Minnesota Department of Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero. “With the eyes of the world on Minneapolis, entry of this order reflects this critically important moment in time. The agreement captures the scope of the necessary work ahead to address race-based policing, a plague on our City that harms everyone, especially people of color and Indigenous community members. We, at the Department, are committed to the work that lies ahead.”

While the City and MPD implement the terms of the court enforceable agreement, multiple entities are responsible for holding the City and MPD accountable.

• Team of Independent Evaluators: The monitoring team will support the City and MPD, monitor their progress, engage with community members and police officers, and provide regular, public reports. The City and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights are in the process of identifying this team.

• State Court: The court will oversee this legally binding agreement and is the only entity that can terminate the agreement once the court determines that the City and MPD have reached full, effective, and sustained compliance with the terms.

• Minnesota Department of Human Rights: The Department will assess whether the City and MPD are satisfying the terms of the court enforceable agreement.

• Community Members and Police Officers: While MPD is developing and updating its policies, the court enforceable agreement requires that MPD engage with and collect feedback from officers and community members.   

The Minnesota Department of Human Rights initiated the investigation of the City and MPD immediately following the murder of George Floyd. In April 2022, the Department announced that the City and MPD engage in a pattern or practice of race discrimination in violation of Minnesota’s civil rights law. In March 2023, the Minnesota Department of Human Rights and the City reached and filed a court enforceable agreement.

The Minnesota Department of Human Rights’ findings mark the first of two independent investigations that found a pattern or practice of unlawful policing by MPD. In June 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice found that the City and MPD are in violation of the U.S. Constitution and federal law.

The Department of Justice is negotiating a federal court enforceable agreement with the City and MPD to address its findings. Moving forward, the City will be subject to two court enforceable agreements with one monitor to address the findings of the state and federal civil rights enforcement agencies.   

The Minnesota Department of Human Rights is the state’s civil rights enforcement agency. It is tasked with enforcing the Minnesota Human Rights Act, one of the most comprehensive state civil rights laws in the country.

Document: 

• /mdhr/assets/Signed%20Consent%20Decree%207.13.23_tcm1061-584580.pdfCourt Enforceable Agreement Signed by Judge Janisch (PDF)

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