Minneapolis mayor, police chief seek federal review of Jamar Clark protest response

Justice Dept. will look at handling of occupation.

February 3, 2016 at 3:00AM
A rally after the shooting of Jamar Clark on Nov. 15 had turned into an encampment at Fourth Precinct headquarters by Nov. 19.
A rally after the shooting of Jamar Clark on Nov. 15 had turned into an encampment at Fourth Precinct headquarters by Nov. 19. (Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Minneapolis officials have called on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the city's response to the recent 18-day occupation outside the Police Department's Fourth Precinct headquarters amid continuing criticism over police handling of the protests.

It was unclear if the request, made Tuesday by Mayor Betsy Hodges and Police Chief Janeé Harteau, came in response to a barrage of criticism from activists and protesters about police tactics during the occupation of the police station site just blocks from where Jamar Clark was shot by an officer on Nov. 15.

"To move forward and grow together, we must constantly assess our actions and pursue continuous improvement," Hodges said in a news release. "An independent review of the city's response to the protests at the 4th Precinct will provide the city — our leaders, our departments, and our residents — with important insight into what was done well and where we can do better in the future."

Officials asked the Justice Department's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (also known as COPS) to provide "an after-action review" that would seek to "identify significant findings about critical decisions and practices in order to help develop lessons learned" that other police departments across the country can adopt, according to the release.

The federal agency has reviewed other departments, including the Ferguson, Mo., police force and its handling of the protests that engulfed that town following the 2014 death of Michael Brown and, again, after the officer who shot him was not indicted.

The protests that followed Clark's death, which drew international attention, produced several tense standoffs between the demonstrators and police officers in riot gear who used pepper spray and batons to disperse crowds. A photo of a heavily armed officer pointing a crowd-control weapon at one of the protesters, the son of U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, was shared thousands of times on social media. A small contingent of protesters hurled rocks and Molotov cocktails over the wall of the precinct station.

Some officers have privately accused the administration of bowing to pressure from anti-police protesters in not ending the occupation sooner.

"The COPS office is often called upon to conduct reviews into incidents that are unique or may become a future trend," Harteau said. "This process will help the Minneapolis Police Department and other law-enforcement agencies nationally look at some new challenges and new opportunities for us to improve our profession."

Libor Jany • 612-673-4064 • Twitter: @StribJany

Police Chief JaneÈ Harteau said she supported the mayors request for federal assistance in investigating Sunday's shooting. ] Mark Vancleave - mark.vancleave@startribune.com * Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges and Police Chief JaneÈ Harteau announced the have asked federal authorities to step in to investigate Saturdayís police shooting of 24-year-old Jamar Clark in north Minneapolis on Monday, Nov. 16, 2015 at City Hall.
Harteau (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges and Minneapolis Police Department Chief Janeé Harteau spoke to the media after police cleared the 4th Precinct of protestors and their encampment early, Thursday, December 3, 2015 in Minneapolis, MN. ] (ELIZABETH FLORES/STAR TRIBUNE) ELIZABETH FLORES • eflores@startribune.com
Hodges (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
about the writer

about the writer

Libor Jany

Reporter

Libor Jany is the Minneapolis crime reporter for the Star Tribune. He joined the newspaper in 2013, after stints in newsrooms in Connecticut, New Jersey, California and Mississippi. He spent his first year working out of the paper's Washington County bureau, focusing on transportation and education issues, before moving to the Dakota County team.

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