The City of Minneapolis and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights (MDHR) have requested three teams to make public presentations about their proposals to be chosen as the Independent Evaluator to monitor compliance with the City’s settlement agreement with MDHR. The role of the Independent Evaluator is to evaluate and report on the City’s compliance with the terms of the settlement agreement and provide the City with technical assistance on things like policy drafting and training content.
The three teams are:
- 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.
The three teams will hold public presentations to share more information about their backgrounds, proposed methods for evaluating compliance with the settlement agreement and community engagement plans. They will also answer questions from community members.
Community sessions: Meet the teams
- 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 9 at the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs (Cowles Auditorium), 301 19th Ave. S. Watch the community session on the City’s YouTube channel.
- 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 10 at Plymouth Congregational Church, 1919 LaSalle Ave. Watch the community session on the City’s YouTube channel.
Next steps
Under the settlement agreement, after community presentations, the City and MDHR select a team to be the Independent Evaluator. The Minneapolis City Council will vote on a contract and the Independent Evaluator is expected to start work by March 9, 2023.
A Hennepin County District Court judge approved the City’s settlement agreement with MDHR in July. The agreement outlines policy, training, and accountability requirements that the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) and City enterprise must undertake. It lays out a roadmap for achieving non-discriminatory policing and ways to better support community safety in Minneapolis.