Police accountability should be non-negotiable

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Minneapolis city leaders are currently negotiating a new police contract with the Minneapolis Police Officers Federation that will be in effect through 2025.

Our city leaders are proposing important new accountability provisions for this contract. We support these accountability provisions and want Minneapolis residents to understand their value and the importance of supporting city leaders to stay tough and keep these provisions in the final signed contract.

We believe the most important of the city's proposed accountability provisions are as follows and are referenced by their number in the city's contract proposal:

Eliminate discipline reversals based on "past practices"

City Proposal 7 would deal with a longstanding problem. It would stop the practice of arbitrators overturning discipline imposed by police administrators because similar misconduct was not disciplined in the past. The use of "past practices" sections in police contracts has limited the ability of police administrators to promote reform.

No overturning of discipline unless it was "arbitrary and capricious"

City Proposal 9 provides that no officer discipline may be overturned by an arbitrator unless it is determined the discipline was "arbitrary and capricious." Nearly half of all officer discipline decisions are reversed because arbitrators think they can start all over and overturn the chief's discipline decisions for virtually any reason whatsoever. This seriously undermines the police chief's authority in police discipline.

Retain discipline investigation files

City Proposal 8 allows the Police Department to retain copies of investigative files in personnel records, even if no discipline resulted from an investigation. Keeping this information on file will improve transparency and accountability and permit the full scope of an officer's prior performance to be considered in promotion decisions.

Protect privacy of people who ask to see police personnel records

City Proposal 10 prevents officers from learning the names of those who have asked to see the portions of an officer's public personnel records that may be accessed by the public under the Minnesota Data Practices Act. Members of the public should not be deterred or intimidated from lawfully seeking this information.

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These new contract proposals will provide more accountability to match the new transformative expectations that our courts, community and our police have for each other — in Chief Brian O'Hara's oft-repeated words, the expectation that our police can and will both protect our citizens and build trust with all communities. These accountability enhancements, along with competitive pay, hiring and retention incentives, and new training and wellness programs, are critical to the mission of transforming the culture of the Minneapolis Police Department.

As negotiations continue, we urge all of our citizens to tell the leaders of both our city and Police Federation that we enthusiastically and unequivocally support these critical transformative changes to the union contract.

Readers can find the contract negotiation schedule on the city's website. These negotiations are ongoing and open to the public.

John Satorius and Catherine Shreves are co-chairs of the Reimagining Community Safety Group, Plymouth Congregational Church, Minneapolis. Kitty Westin and Colleen Moriarty are co-presidents, League of Women Voters of Minneapolis.