On Wednesday, Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo said at a media briefing that the Minneapolis Police Department will withdraw from contract talks with the officer union as it seeks to end relationships that have “eroded trust” in the community and overhaul the force following George Floyd’s death.
Chief Arradondo also said he would implement a new early-warning system to identify police officer misconduct, allowing supervisors to intervene more quickly to get problematic officers off the street.
The decision to cut off negotiations with the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis comes a few days after a majority of the city council pledged to dismantle the police force, raising pressure on the chief to take action Arradondo said. “This work must be transformational but I must do it right.” He said he would bring in advisers to conduct a review of how the contract could be restructured for “greater community transparency and more flexibility for true reform,” adding that the main focus was not on wages and benefits.
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