Minneapolis Mayor Frey, Police Chief Arradondo announce new MPD body camera policy

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Police Chief Medaria Arradondo announced a new policy for the use of body cameras by the Minneapolis Police Department.

According to a release from the city, the new policy will prohibit officers from deactivating their cameras for the purpose of engaging in private conversations with one another while still at the scene of an incident.

Frey and Arradondo say that this marks another step in transparency and accountability in MPD.

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“Strengthening accountability and increasing transparency have been cornerstones of our community safety work,” said Frey. “This update helps leadership provide a more complete and accurate picture during and after incidents, and puts officers in a better position to hold each other accountable.”

“We’ve seen as a community and as a police force, body camera footage increasingly plays a crucial role in understanding critical events in our community,” said Arradondo. “Accountability is not achieved with any single solution, but changes like this move us toward an even more transparent approach to public safety and building trust with the communities we serve.”

This policy change is the latest in a series of changes since the death of George Floyd in May. Other policy reforms have included an overhaul on the use of force policy, ‘modernizing’ the department’s policy on no-knock warrants and making de-escalation reporting requirements more comprehensive.