Minneapolis city council on Friday takes the first step in what may result in the abolishment of the MPD.
Five council members have authored an amendment to the city's charter.
The regular Minneapolis council meeting is taking place virtually, and not in city hall council chambers.
The amendment would replace the Minneapolis police department with a Department of Community Service and Violence Prevention.
The new arm of Minneapolis city government would prioritize a "holistic" and "public-health-oriented" approach.
The council members behind the movement are Jeremiah Ellison, Alondra Cano, Cam Gordon, Steve Fletcher and Council President Lisa Bender.
"We're going to come up with that solution together," said Cano. "There's going to be a process of community engagement to reconstitute the trust of the people in a process that they will build themselves with us."
If the amendment makes it through several bureaucratic obstacles, it would be placed on the November ballot.
Minneapolis voters have the final say on charter amendments, unless there's unanimous approval by city council and the mayor.
Council so far is split on the police abolishment issue.
All this comes one month and one day after the death of George Floyd in police custody, which has sparked the movement to dismantle the MPD.
It also comes after multiple shootings in Minneapolis that has heightened concerns among residents who are reluctant to have the police department eliminated.
"I don't want there to be this confusion of just, well, is there going to be nobody doing anything? Is there going to be nobody solving murders? No," said Ellison. "We're absolutely going to make sure that there are systems in place to address an active shooter situation, for example."
The Minneapolis city charter states that a police department is required, and the proposed amendment provides for a law enforcement division with licensed officers.