In March, the Minnesota Department of Human Rights and the City of Minneapolis reached a court enforceable agreement to strengthen public safety by addressing discriminatory, race-based policing.
In July, the court approved the agreement, which requires independent oversight by a monitoring team, the Independent Evaluator.
The monitoring team finalists have been chosen. Now, you have an opportunity to meet the finalists. Learn more below.
Attend a community session on January 9 or 10
Each session is identical
Each of the finalists will make a public presentation that includes information about the members of their team, their proposed plan for monitoring the City and Minneapolis Police Department, and their community engagement plan. Then, the finalists will respond to questions submitted by community members.
Attend one of the sessions
Submit a question before the session
Click here to submit a question for the Independent Evaluator finalists before the community sessions. The deadline is January 7 at 11:59 p.m.
Three finalists in alphabetical order
- Effective Law Enforcement For ALL (ELEFA), a nonprofit formed to help police, civic, and community leaders partner to reinvent law enforcement in their communities to achieve policing that is effective, respectful, restrained and, above all, safe for the public and the police. The nonprofit has offices in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Silver Springs, Maryland.
- Jensen Hughes, a law enforcement consulting firm committed to improving the performance of policing to ensure the law enforcement agency practices are constitutional, procedurally just and delivered in a manner that builds trust and confidence in the communities they serve. Jensen Hughes has offices around the world.
- Relman Colfax, a Washington, D.C.-based national civil rights firm with a long record of combatting community-wide race and disability discrimination; representing cities and law enforcement officers facing race discrimination; and conducting monitorships, audits, and internal investigations.
Why the monitoring team matters
The Independent Evaluator will play an important role in making sure the City of Minneapolis and Minneapolis Police Department are on track with making transformational changes as required by the court enforceable agreement.
What qualifications must the team have?
The court enforceable agreement lays out the qualifications for the team. Some of those skills include:
- Experience in transforming policing culture.
- Experience working with diverse communities on public safety issues.
- Understand that non-discriminatory policing creates a stronger public safety system.
- Strong project management skills.
- Expertise in monitoring and oversight.
What will the team do?
- Provide expertise and technical support to the City and Minneapolis Police Department.
- Review and approve policies and trainings.
- Engage with community members to gather feedback and evaluate the effectiveness of changes being made.
- Engage with officers to help develop the skills they need to be successful.
- Work directly with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights and the U.S. Department of Justice.
- Provide regular, public reports to ensure accountability and provide transparency.
Last updated 12/13/2023
