Assistant Minneapolis city attorney overseeing implementation of police reforms leaving for St. Paul

Assistant City Attorney Sara Lathrop, a veteran civil litigator who negotiated a settlement agreement between Minneapolis and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights over the city's pattern of discriminatory policing, is leaving for another job.

Her exit to become assistant city attorney in St. Paul comes at a critical juncture for Minneapolis, which is working on a tight timetable to implement court-mandated police reforms meant to restore trust in the embattled department.

As managing attorney of the Implementation Unit, Lathrop oversaw a team of lawyers and civilian advisers tasked with ensuring compliance of pending legal agreements with the state and U.S. Justice Department.

Separate state and federal probes launched in the aftermath of George Floyd's murder found that the Minneapolis Police Department engaged in a pattern and practice of discriminatory policing that deprived citizens of their constitutional rights.

Over the past three years, Lathrop has helped lay the groundwork to draft sweeping policy changes expected to shape the future of policing in Minneapolis and improve accountability measures within the city enterprise, supporters say.

In 2021, Lathrop issued a memo directing MPD and city department heads to preserve all documents and electronic data dating back to at least Jan. 1, 2010 that might be relevant to the federal investigation, including any files related to uses of force, training, supervision and discipline.

She went on to play a key role in negotiating a settlement agreement with the Department of Human Rights (MDHR), which revamps how the police department investigates crimes, uses force against citizens and holds problem officers accountable. The City Council voted unanimously to adopt the agreement last spring.

But throughout the yearlong process, Lathrop repeatedly raised concerns about the state's findings — specifically regarding their contention that MPD used covert accounts to spy on Black people and Black-led organizations unrelated to criminal activity and didn't surveil white supremacist groups. In a May 2022 letter, Lathrop called those allegations into question and sought underlying data to back up MDHR's claims.

Negotiations stalled for several weeks amid disagreement on underlying evidence — none of which was ever provided to the city or the media — but later resumed in good faith.

"Sara has been invaluable to Minneapolis's efforts at police reform," City Attorney Kristyn Anderson announced last week in an email obtained by the Star Tribune. "We literally could not have gotten to where we are with MDHR/DOJ and public safety reform without her. I will be forever grateful for the work she has done, the positive path she has put us on, and for welcoming me into the fray."

Anderson also praised Lathrop's work representing the city against tough lawsuits seeking to strike down Minneapolis' minimum wage, safe and sick time ordinances.

Lathrop's last day is Aug. 18. She declined an interview request through a city spokesperson.

Her departure, first reported by the Minnesota Reformer, marks the latest high-level government official to leave City Hall for other opportunities in recent months.

The City Attorney has since appointed Jennifer Saunders, a veteran attorney and manager in the office's criminal division, to succeed her.

In a statement to the Star Tribune Thursday, Anderson lauded Lathrop's contributions over her 15-year tenure, but noted that "implementation work is not about one person; it is an enterprise effort."

"We have enterprise-wide commitment to this work from every level of leadership..." she continued, adding that Saunders is "well-positioned to seamlessly step into the role."