What elected officials and police reform activists are saying about the Justice Department investigation

President Joe Biden

"This afternoon, I was briefed by my team on the Department of Justice's independent findings of unconstitutional practices of the Minneapolis Police Department. The findings are disturbing and underscore the urgent need for Congress to pass common sense reforms that increase public trust, combat racial discrimination and thereby strengthen public safety."

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar

"As the Attorney General and the Justice Department stated today, they will continue to work with the City and the Minneapolis Police Department on the reforms necessary to remedy the unlawful conduct outlined in the report. The prosecutions of the George Floyd murder case were one step towards accountability, and long-term policing reforms must be the other."

U.S. Sen. Tina Smith

"The findings released today enumerate in vivid and heartbreaking detail what members of this community have known for a long time, that the MPD has engaged in longstanding practices that deny people their rights under the Constitution and federal law, and has brought lasting and real harm to people."

U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar

"These findings are shocking, but sadly, not surprising. The report details a Department whose accountability structures are 'fundamentally flawed,' where MPD and civilian leadership take no action to address blatant violations of their own policies. What's worse, the report finds that many of the violations — such as the widespread failure to report race and gender in stops — increased after George Floyd's murder in 2020. This comes on the heels of another report by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights last year finding systemic 'discriminatory, race-based policing.'"

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison

"I've always feared that after the convictions of Derek Chauvin and others for the murder of George Floyd, too many people would dismiss that tragedy as an aberration. Now, two separate, independent investigations by state and federal authorities have found very serious and systemic problems that we have to fix. The results of the DOJ investigation are very important because they confirm the State's result and go beyond. We now have an independent, court-enforceable structure for creating meaningful, lasting reform that can and must lead to greater safety and greater human rights for all."

Mayor Jacob Frey

"Over time, our success will be defined by Minneapolis residents and the experience of our neighbors. And we're not going to stop until every single person in Minneapolis feels that success. That means when every resident — regardless of their background, or the neighborhood they call home — feels safer when they see and interact with a Minneapolis police officer, knowing that officer is guided by a commitment to justice."

Minnesota House People of Color and Indigenous (POCI) Caucus

"We are not surprised by the outcome of the investigation as these are consistent with the experiences of many Black and Indigenous people in Minneapolis. Community members have long reported harassment, discrimination, and violence at the hands of the police. The DOJ's report is a call to action for the city of Minneapolis and the entire country. All communities deserve to feel safe from the people sworn to protect them."

Civil rights attorneys Ben Crump, Antonio Romanucci and Jeff Storms

"Unfortunately, our legal team remains skeptical about Minneapolis' commitment to change and accountability. We are deeply concerned that while City leaders appear to be cooperating with the DOJ directives to create change, the City is doing the opposite, and vigorously defending the conduct of the officers who shot and killed Amir Locke ... Despite the City's public face of wanting reform to stop the needless deaths of young Brown and Black Minneapolis residents, the City continues to mount aggressive defenses on behalf of the officers and police department they agree requires federal consent reforms ... This continued refusal to police from within is a textbook example of why the federal government must police the Minneapolis police."