Charter commission to vote on amendment to replace Minneapolis Police Department
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Wednesday, the future of the Minneapolis Police Department will be, once again, up for debate.
The city’s charter commission is expected to decide whether to approve a proposal to replace the police department, moving it one step closer to the November ballot.
This will be the second of two votes by the commission that could reshape how policing looks in the city.
The first one happened last week and was unsuccessful. It would have eliminated the minimum staffing requirement for the police department based on the population.
Wednesday’s vote would have a much bigger impact, with the decision being to eliminate the Minneapolis Police Department and replace it with a department of community safety and violence prevention, something the majority of the city council backs.
[KSTP-TV]
If it makes it to the November ballot, voters would get the final say.
Wednesday, the commission could approve the proposal, reject it, propose a substitute, or ask for more time to review it.
Rejection wouldn’t be the end of the proposal, because the city council isn’t bound by the commission’s decision. However a delay would be, by making it impossible to get the measure onto November’s ballot.
These discussions and proposals started following the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody.
People on both sides of the issue have spoken out, some saying this change is needed now, while others say more time is needed.
More from KSTP.com:
Public to weigh in on charter amendment proposal amid Minneapolis police reform
Work group to go over Minneapolis charter amendment proposal amid police reform discussions
While this would be a step closer to presenting the decision to voters, there are a handful left before it’s official.
The virtual meeting is expected to begin at 4 p.m.
Stay with 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS and KSTP.com for updates.