Minnesota House Democrats offered the clearest look yet at what they are prioritizing in their bid for a second sweeping police reform package, asking the Senate GOP to agree to 12 policy proposals late last week. While the Senate GOP promised a swift response to the offer, here is a look at the DFL's first proposal.
What's included in the DFL's proposed police reform package
May 8, 2021 at 7:56PM
'Sign and release'
One of two late proposals inspired by the police shooting of Daunte Wright, this bill would end arrests for missed court appearances for certain lower-level charges and instead require police to issue written notice of a person's next court date.
Traffic stops
A second new bill brought forward after Wright's killing would prohibit police from stopping motorists for equipment violations.
Misconduct database
Chief law enforcement officers would be required to report certain misconduct data to the Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Board to be included in a database kept by the licensing board.
Protest response
This bill would require all law enforcement agencies to closely follow a statewide model policy for responding to public assemblies.
White supremacist ban
Licensed peace officers would be barred from affiliating with known white supremacist organizations.
Duty to intercede
A police officer who sees another officer use excessive force would be required to report the incident to their chief. Republican Rep. Eric Lucero of Dayton is the bill's lead sponsor.
Citizen oversight
This proposal would let, but not require, communities create citizen oversight panels for their law enforcement agencies.
Statute of limitations
Under this bill, the civil statute of limitations for taking action against an officer for a wrongful death or sexual abuse would be eliminated.
No-knock warrants
This would set out new regulations on no-knock warrants, including a requirement that police chiefs review all applications for such warrants and that agencies report data on them to the commissioner of public safety.
Travis' Law
The 911 system would be able to refer callers to mental health crisis teams when appropriate under this legislation. Sen. Jim Abeler, R-Anoka, introduced a companion bill in the Senate.
Body camera policies
Close family members of those killed by police would be able to view body camera footage within 48 hours under this bill, which also imposes new restrictions on altering or destroying videos.
Matthew's Law
This bill passed unanimously on the Senate floor this session and would require law enforcement to adopt policies for how investigators use confidential informants.
Stephen Montemayor • 651-925-5048
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