Sen. Tina Smith calls for DOJ to investigate Minneapolis Police

(FOX 9) - Minnesota Senator Tina Smith is calling on the Department of Justice to investigate the practices of the Minneapolis Police Department, she announced Monday, also taking aim at Police Union President Lt. Bob Kroll.

Sen. Smith wrote that Lt. Kroll is "emblematic of the problems we have in the MPD — the abuse of power & racism we must root out. I’m calling on the DOJ to examine the pattern & practice of racial discrimination & violent policing at MPD so we can end it."

Lt. Kroll has received increased criticism after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody on May 25. Earlier Monday, former Minneapolis Police Chief Janeé Harteau called for Police Union President Lt. Bob Kroll to step down after a letter to union members surfaced in which Kroll blamed politicians and local leaders for the riots in Minneapolis. 

On Twitter Monday, Harteau shared a screenshot of an email from Kroll to the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis. In the message, Kroll called the riots a “terrorist movement” and the escalating unrest is occurring because officers have “lacked support from the top.”