Public to weigh in on charter amendment proposal amid Minneapolis police reform

Rebecca Omastiak

For the first time, the public will have the chance to weigh in on the future of public safety in Minneapolis as well as the possible dismantling of the police department during a virtual meeting Wednesday.

The meeting will address proposed changes to the Minneapolis city charter, including possibly replacing the police department with a "Community Safety and Violence Prevention Department."

City leaders have stated they are looking at options to possibly change the structure of policing, including forming a public safety work group to go over the charter amendment the city council recently laid out.

Although the proposal wouldn’t necessarily mean halting police operations, it would make it easier to make those changes if city officials decided to proceed in that way.

Ultimately, if agreed upon, the amendment would be on the November ballot when Minneapolis residents vote.

Work group to go over Minneapolis charter amendment proposal amid police reform discussions

Wednesday’s public hearing is also a day after Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey announced changes to the police department’s use of force and de-escalation reporting requirements.

Minneapolis Mayor announces de-escalation standards, police use of force reporting requirements

The virtual public hearing will take place at 5 p.m.

Participation instructions will be posted on the city’s website. Those interested in speaking at the public hearing can pre-register using the online registration form.

Other ways to comment:

A second public hearing will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 21.