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Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis police union seeks voice in federal reform plan

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Minneapolis police union seeks voice in federal reform plan


The Minneapolis police union is seeking a voice in the latest plan for court-ordered reforms of the police department. The union on Friday filed a motion to intervene in the proposed federal consent decree.

Last week the city and U.S. Justice Department announced details of a federal consent decree, in which a judge would enforce major changes at MPD. The agreement is similar to a state-level settlement between MPD and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights that followed the 2020 murder of George Floyd.

Police Federation attorney Jim Michels said in a phone interview with MPR News on Friday that members are concerned about possible conflicts with their labor contract.

As one example, Michels pointed to language in the consent decree that details shift scheduling for supervisors.

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“It calls for the department to schedule sergeants and lieutenants in certain ways,” Michels said. “And we have scheduling language in the labor agreement that talks about how sergeants and lieutenants are scheduled.”

Michels said that the union does not oppose the consent decree, but wants to have a say in its implementation.

“That’s the tack we’d like to take initially, is try to work together to collaborate to make sure everybody’s interests are taken care of. Because right now, unless the federation is allowed to have a seat at the table, the only interests being advanced are the interests of the city and the federal government,” Michels said.

Michels noted that federal judges overseeing consent decrees elsewhere, including in Albuquerque, have allowed police unions to intervene in the reform process.

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The group Communities United Against Police Brutality, which has long advocated for court oversight of MPD, filed an amicus brief to participate in the case soon after the agreement was announced.

The consent decree will not be legally binding unless it receives the approval of U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson.

Police reform advocates fear that the Justice Department under incoming President Donald Trump could scuttle the agreement unless it takes effect before his inauguration.

During his first term, Trump opposed consent decrees and called them a “war on police.”



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Minneapolis, MN

Man suffers life-threatening injuries in Minneapolis shooting

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Man suffers life-threatening injuries in Minneapolis shooting


A Christmas Day shooting has left a man hospitalized and fighting for his life in Minneapolis.

Minneapolis Police Sgt. Garrett Parten says it happened at around 6:50 a.m. Thursday near the intersection of Cedar Avenue and 17th Avenue South, in the city’s Seward neighborhood.

Officers responded to a report of a shooting and found a man with potentially life-threatening injuries.

Parten says officers provided aid until the man could be taken to a hospital by ambulance.

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Investigators believe the suspect was dressed in black clothing and fled the scene before officers arrived.

No arrests had been made as of Thursday night.

The investigation remains active.



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Minneapolis, MN

Man suffers serious injuries in Minneapolis stabbing; police investigating

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Man suffers serious injuries in Minneapolis stabbing; police investigating



Minneapolis police are investigating after they say a man suffered “potentially life-threatening injuries” in a stabbing on Thursday morning.

It happened around 4:45 a.m. near Franklin Avenue East and Chicago Avenue. Officers were called there after reports of a bleeding man boarding a Metro Transit bus. 

The man was taken to the hospital after receiving medical help from the officers.

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According to police, the stabbing did not happen on the bus.

Investigators are looking into what led to the shooting, and say there’s a “possibility that it occurred during an attempted robbery.”

As of Thursday afternoon, no one has been arrested. 



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Hundreds of first responders treated to free holiday dinner from NE Minneapolis businesses

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Hundreds of first responders treated to free holiday dinner from NE Minneapolis businesses


Protecting and serving Minneapolis came with a generous lunch break today, all of it thanks to volunteers and donors.

The 42nd Annual First Responders Dinner was held at the Northeast Moose Bar and Grill. Several restaurants from the neighborhood dropped off trays of food, while local bakeries made sure there was plenty of dessert.

From noon until 10 p.m., police officers, firefighters, EMTs and others serving the community stopped in for a well-deserved meal.

Sukhdeep Singh, owner of Curry Corner, was excited that his restaurant was asked to help provide food this year.

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“I made sure that we are going to have more than what we need so we don’t run out,” he said. “(First responders) are the backbone of our city. Every time we get an opportunity, we want to be there to make sure that we are always giving back.”

His restaurant is one of several contributing to the annual Christmas Eve dinner at the Moose Bar and Grill.

Aileen Johnson is one of the organizers of the dinner. She said the dozens of volunteers live nearby. The restaurants and bakeries are all from the Northeast.

Johnson says it’s the neighborhood’s way of saying thank you.

“I think it really captures the spirit of the holiday to do for others and to think of others,” she said. 

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Watching police officers crack jokes and relax hits close to home for her.

“My late husband, Charlie Herzog, was an officer in the 5th Precinct and he worked many a Christmas Eve. And it was always a wonderful thing to know that he was getting a good hot meal, and not just a good hot meal, but a celebratory meal,” she said.

Hundreds of first responders were expected to attend. 

Volunteers also delivered hundreds of meals to those who couldn’t make the trip, like 911 dispatchers, corrections officers, paramedics at nearby hospitals and Metro Transit.

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