Minneapolis, MN
DOJ requests pause in consent decree with Minneapolis aimed at police reforms
Mpls mayor, police chief on federal consent decree
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara spoke about the U.S. Department of Justice federal consent decree that mandates reforms within the Minneapolis Police Department. FOX 9’s Leah Beno asked how this could impact policing in the city.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – The U.S. Department of Justice has requested a pause in the federal consent decree agreement with the City of Minneapolis that would implement sweeping reforms within the police department.
Consent decree
The backstory:
On Jan. 6, the Minneapolis City Council voted to approve the federal consent decree between the DOJ and the city, which outlined sweeping reforms in how the Minneapolis police handle things like use of force, pursuits, training and discipline.
This agreement came after a two-year investigation following the murder of George Floyd. The DOJ found a pattern or practice of civil rights violations within the MPD. Some of its findings include the use of excessive force, including unjustified deadly force, unlawful discrimination against Black and Native American people and discrimination against people with behavioral health disabilities.
The day the decree was approved, recognizing that the incoming President Trump had repeatedly criticized such agreements, Mayor Jacob Frey insisted “this agreement is rock solid and our commitment to it, regardless of the circumstances, is also rock solid.”
DOJ requests a pause
What’s new:
While the Minneapolis City Council had approved the agreement, a federal judge assigned to review the case had not yet signed off. Now, the DOJ is requesting a temporary pause in the proceedings until March 20.
In a court document filed on Wednesday, the DOJ requested a stay so the recently confirmed U.S. attorney general, Pam Bondi, can get caught up in the case. Additionally, the DOJ argued the two pending motions have yet to be scheduled for a hearing so it wouldn’t substantially injure the other parties involved.
“The public interest weighs in favor of the United States’ receiving a temporary pause so that new leadership within the Department of Justice can be brought up to speed on this matter,” the document reads.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the judge has not ruled whether to issue a 30-day stay in the proceedings.
Dig deeper:
The Minneapolis Police Department remains under a similar consent decree with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, approved in 2023, that includes similar reform mandates.
The scene of the crash at 26th Avenue North and Emerson Avenue North in Minneapolis. (FOX 9)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – A Minneapolis woman was sentenced for her role in a deadly crash that killed two women and injured two other people in December 2024.
READ MORE: Minneapolis woman charged in fatal high-speed crash faces additional charges
Woman sentenced in fatal Minneapolis crash
Big picture view:
Prosecutors say Teniki Steward drove a Buick Enclave into a bus shelter and a Ford Explorer after speeding through a red light.
Both of the women in the Ford Explorer died in the crash. They were identified as 53-year-old Ester Jean Fulks and 57-year-old Rose Elaine Reece.
During the crash, the Ford Explorer went off the road, injuring a 17-year-old boy who was waiting for a school bus.
The passenger in Steward’s vehicle also suffered injuries.
Minneapolis police said that Steward was also injured in the crash.
Steward pleaded guilty to multiple murder charges.
What they’re saying:
During the sentencing, the daughter of one of the victims had a statement read on her behalf:
“There’s nothing that can truly prepare you for the moment your entire world is taken from you. Losing my mom has left a pain in my heart that words will never be able to explain.”
What’s next:
Minnesota law requires that Steward serves at least two-thirds of her sentence, a bit under eight-and-a-half years, in prison.
Fatal Emerson and 26th crash
The backstory:
According to the criminal complaint, through surveillance videos from the scene of the crash and witnesses, investigators learned that Steward, driving the Buick Enclave, had been driving at a high rate of speed northbound on Emerson Avenue North.
Before the fatal crash, Steward sped through the intersection of Emerson Avenue North and Broadway Avenue North, running a red light and nearly causing a crash, the charges said.
Steward then continued to speed northbound down Emerson Avenue North, and ran another red light at 26th Avenue North, hitting the Ford Explorer, which was traveling eastbound, according to the complaint.
The Ford Explorer had been at the intersection of Emerson and 26th on a green light.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty shared the following statement:
“This was an egregious act that took Rose and Esther’s lives and injured a child waiting to go to school at a bus stop. Ms. Steward was driving at extremely dangerous speeds on city streets and narrowly avoided multiple collisions before the incident occurred. Third-degree murder charges are appropriate to hold her accountable and protect our community.”
The Source: This story uses information gathered from an Olmsted County court appearance and previous FOX 9 reporting.
A motorcyclist is dead after an early morning crash in Minneapolis Friday morning.
The Minnesota State Patrol said that at 1:20 a.m., a Suzuki Motorcycle going north on I-35W at Johnson Street hit the left side of the median guard rail.
The motorcycle continued north for about another quarter mile before coming to a rest on the right-hand side.
State Patrol said the rider came to rest on the left shoulder. He was later identified as 21-year-old Andrew James Neuberger.
ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – The Rochester Spartans boys volleyball team played its second game on consecutive nights. The Spartans beat Minneapolis Camden 3-0.
Rochester’s next game will be Tuesday, April 21, at St. Anthony Village at 7:00 p.m.
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