State Attorney General Keith Ellison spoke with WCCO's Chad Hartman Friday about the Department of Justice report on the Minneapolis Police Department.
The scathing report says Minneapolis Police consistently violated the rights of citizens. Ellison says this has been a long time coming for the MPD. He adds that it is entirely a fixable situation too.
"I believe this is fixable," Ellison told WCCO. "I don't think that this is anything to panic about. I don't think anybody is terribly surprised. But it is significant to me that this has been something that has been found after a multi-year investigation."
Ellison further reminds current officers their responsibility to act ethically while on duty, and he says he thinks this information will make the city safer.
"Whenever you act unconstitutionally in uniform, you are tarnishing the entire reputation of this department," Ellison said.
Now, two separate independent investigations by state and federal authorities have found very serious and systemic problems with Minneapolis Police.
"These two develpments signal the change that people have been asking for, is in fact needed," Ellison explained. "But I'd say the city is already doing some things. I think (Police Chief) Brian O'Hara is doing a good job. I think Cedric Alexander is doing a good job. I think the City Council is doing a good job. It should give people hope that we can get to a better place."
Ellison added that even though it's better, there is work to do.
"I don't want to paint a rosy picture. There is work to do. It is not an impossible problem. We need some optimism."
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Here is Ellison's full statement:
“I've always feared that after the convictions of Derek Chauvin and others for the murder of George Floyd, too many people would dismiss that tragedy as an aberration. Now, two separate, independent investigations by state and federal authorities have found very serious and systemic problems that we have to fix. The results of the DOJ investigation are very important because they confirm the State's result and go beyond.
We now have an independent, court-enforceable structure for creating meaningful, lasting reform that can and must lead to greater safety and greater human rights for all. We can fix this and I'm looking forward to fixing this. I want to thank Attorney General Garland and everyone at the Justice Department for this landmark work and renew my thanks to the Minnesota Department of Human Rights for their investigation and consent decree. I pledge my full support and the support of the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office to this effort.”