He acts on eve of House vote on public safety package that activists call insufficient.
Gov. Tim Walz is taking executive action on an array of public safety and policing proposals amid intense criticism by Democrats and community activists over a law enforcement spending agreement they say is inadequate.
Walz said he would use $15 million in COVID-19 relief money to pay for community violence prevention grants, increase data sharing from the state’s police licensing board and order state-level law enforcement agencies to share footage of deadly police encounters with relatives of those killed within five days.
“Those are things people are asking for. Those build trust,” Walz said. “They build trust in police, they build trust in the systems, they build trust amongst communities, and they provide the community with some basic closure and understanding for families.” Continue reading.