Federal Investigation of Mpls Police Seeks Community Input

<p>The federal Department of Justice is investigating the Minneapolis Police Department; the DOJ has limited capacity for seeking community<br>engagement and has reached out to organizations like Communities United Against Police Brutality for help. CUAPB is organizing more than 20 sharing sessions across Minneapolis. </p><p>--</p><p>Feven Gerezgiher reports:</p><p><br></p><p>The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the Minneapolis Police Department and activists are determined to make sure community voices are heard. Monday evening, organizers with Communities United Against Police Brutality gathered residents in the Seward neighborhood to talk about police encounters.</p><p><br></p><p><em>“I cannot stress enough how important it is for the community to be a part of this process, to talk about their experiences, so that we can have a better outcome,” said Darlene Scott, with CUAPB. “You know, we protest and we have a right to protest, but I'm hoping that if we have a better connection and engagement with policing, there won't be people being killed by police, harmed by police in the future. That we’ll have a safer community all the way around.”</em></p><p><br></p><p>CUAPB is organizing more than 20 sharing sessions across Minneapolis. Scott says the DOJ has limited capacity for community engagement and reached out to organizations like hers for help. </p><p><br></p><p>In April, the justice department <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-merrick-b-garland-announces-investigation-city-minneapolis-minnesota-and">announced</a> the investigation into MPD’s patterns and practices to assess its use of force and whether it engages in discriminatory policing. If it finds violations, the DOJ can use consent decrees to enforce changes. </p><p><br></p><p>The justice department does not comment on ongoing investigations. On their website, it notes that hearing directly from both police officers and community members is a critical part of the investigation.</p><p><br></p><p>In <a href="http