ACLU excessive force report raises concerns about Minneapolis police
ACLU: MPD may still have excessive force issues
The ACLU released report stating that the Minneapolis Police Department could still have excessive force issues. FOX 9's Soyoung Kim has the latest.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A new ACLU report raised concerns over Minneapolis policing tactics, citing incidents where force may have been excessive.
Investigators say they reviewed incidents leading up to when the Department of Justice (DOJ) dropped the federal consent decree last year. The ACLU says the goal was to see if any of the issues still existed.
Conversations around police reform
The backstory:
In 2020, George Floyd was killed by a former Minneapolis police officer. The incident sparked protests calling for police reform.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) under President Joe Biden investigated multiple police departments across the country for police misconduct including excessive force and racial discrimination. MPD was one of the agencies that raised concerns and entered a federal consent decree to implement reforms.
Then in May 2025, the DOJ under President Donald Trump withdrew the federal consent decree.
The ACLU says with the removal of federal oversight, the investigators requested use-of-force reports across seven states where the DOJ previously flagged issues of police misconduct to see it there had been ongoing issues.
What they're saying:
The ACLU released preliminary findings Tuesday. Investigators say they sent public data requests for force reports across seven states in May 2025. According to the report, MPD was one of the more responsive agencies. ACLU investigators say initial findings are based on reviewing hundreds of force reports from the end of 2024 to the beginning of 2025.
The ACLU says the report found that issues similar to previous misconduct may still be continuing in Minneapolis. Investigators say they reportedly found needless escalation of mental health crises, improper use of tasers, and deficient internal review of force.
In one incident included in the report, officers in Minneapolis responded to a woman who appeared to be "shouting incomprehensibly." The officer grabbed the woman’s jacket and caused her to fall. Then, pinned her to ground with his knee on her back for about five minutes. In another incident provided as an example, a police officer stunned a man repeatedly after he had followed orders to drop grilling tongs.
The other side:
A spokesperson for Minneapolis police says the city is reviewing the report before providing any comments.
MPD is still under a court-enforced reform agreement with the state.