Democrats move police changes to top of agenda
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On the eve of the start of a special legislative session, Gov. Tim Walz and fellow Democrats proposed a wide-ranging set of measures designed to change the way police officers do their jobs.
Walz said Minnesotans are expecting changes after George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis police custody. He credited members of the People Of Color and Indigenous Caucus — all Democrats — for bringing forward a plan.
“Minnesota will change the way we do policing,” Walz said Thursday. “Minnesota will change what accountability looks like, and Minnesota will start to lift up those voices that for too long have felt they haven’t been heard.”
The proposals Walz and other Democrats are backing include:
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Defining when officers can use deadly force
Expanding training and oversight of police
Prohibiting chokeholds and warrior training
Setting up community alternatives to policing
Restoring voting rights to people released from prison who may still be on parole
The special session is needed for Walz to extend the emergency powers he first invoked in March to deal with COVID-19 by another 30 days.
Sen. Jeff Hayden, DFL-Minneapolis, represents the area where Floyd was killed and was hard hit during recent unrest. He said the criminal justice system is failing people of color, and it must stop.
“Now is the time to lead by example and to act to advance actual change. No more stalling, no more waiting,” he said.
The House will get the ball rolling Saturday with a remote hearing by the public safety committee that’s scheduled to last eight hours and cover 17 specific proposals.
Rep. Rena Moran, DFL-St. Paul, said many of the legislative proposals will hold police officers accountable for wrongdoing.
“We all know that not all cops are bad. But we also know that not all cops are good,” Moran said. “The bad cops make the good cops look bad, and the bad cops make the institution look bad and distrustful.”
The start of the special session is set, but its conclusion is not. It will be up to the House and Senate to decide when to end. Walz said lawmakers should take as much time as they need.
Republican Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka did not immediately respond to the DFL news conference. He’s expected to have more to say on the special session at a news conference on Friday.
Last week, Gazelka said he wants Minnesota to lead the nation on race reconciliation. But he also said police reform issues may be too complex to address during a short special session.
“I know the police departments in my communities are well received, and so we have to be careful that this is not a one-size-fits-all solution,” said Gazelka. “That’s part of the reason I want to carefully evaluate what we do here.”
Lawmakers will also take up issues that were unresolved at the end of the regular session. That list includes a package of public construction projects known as a bonding bill. Republicans and Democrats were far apart in May on the size of the bill, and the House GOP threatened to withhold needed votes if Walz didn’t let his emergency powers expire.
Senate Republicans will vote to end those powers, Gazelka said.
“It’s time that we work together,” he said. “It is time that the legislative branch is on equal footing with the governor.”
