A new report conducted by an independent firm investigating how Minneapolis handled the rioting and destruction following the murder of George Floyd has been released.
Bob Boemer, the “after-action” project manager, shared that after conducting interviews, it was found that city residents felt unsupported and upset with what happened in Minneapolis during the summer of 2020.
“The community members reported that they felt abandoned by the city,” Boemer said. “They felt kind of lost. They felt that they received inconsistent information from the police department and city officials. They lost trust in the MPD.”
Boemer added that for the most part, those interviewed shared their opinions and faith in the police department was already “eroding,” despite having trust in former Police Chief Medaria Arradondo. Those feelings hold true to today.
“Even though our interviews were almost a year after the incident, you could feel the emotions in speaking to people,” Boemer said. “You recognize that it’s still raw, and it’s still there.”
The report contains dozens of interviews conducted by the firm, along with more than 2,400 documents being analyzed and 35-hours of police bodycam footage.
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Another author of the report, Chad McGinty, shared that the responding agencies failed to follow protocol during the summer of 2020 despite being somewhat prepared.
“The city had emergency operation plans, as did the fire department, the police department. What we found is those weren’t effectively utilized,” McGinty said. “The plans were there, but the respective agencies didn’t adhere to the information that was in the plans.”
McGinty went on to say that the report found a number of inconsistencies in the rules of engagement when it came to the use of chemical munitions.
Mayor Jacob Frey released a statement on the report saying that rebuilding the trust with the community and local government will require them to take concrete actions informed by the review.
A directive from Frey has already been given to city staff to improve the city’s emergency response processes.
The report also comes after Mayor Frey announced a nationwide search for the city’s next police chief.
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