The city of Minneapolis is withdrawing from labor negotiations with the powerful police union, the latest step by officials to restore faith in the beleaguered department as demands for law enforcement accountability and reform sweep the country in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
Police Chief Medaria Arradondo revealed the move before talks were scheduled to resume after a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s among the first steps he pledged to take to restore community trust, along with renewing an initiative to identify potentially problem officers in time to intervene.
“I need to, as chief, step away from the table with the Minneapolis Police Federation and really take a deep dive in terms of how we can do something that has historically been something that is in the way of progress, that I’ve been hearing from many in our city,” Arradondo said. “It’s time that we have to evolve.” Continue reading.