KARE 11 investigates: ACLU sues to open secret Minneapolis police discipline files
Lawsuit accuses Minneapolis of “willfully subverting” state law to hide police misconduct after KARE 11 reported hundreds of coaching cases are kept secret.
Credit: KARE Author: Brandon Stahl (KARE11), Lauren Leamanczyk, Steve Eckert Published: 11:14 AM CDT June 3, 2021 Updated: 11:14 AM CDT June 3, 2021
MINNEAPOLIS Claiming Minneapolis has a “culture of secrecy,” the American Civil Liberties Union and a Minnesota group devoted to accessing public records
are suing to force the city to release details about hundreds of police misconduct cases currently kept secret.
The lawsuit accuses city officials of hiding behind what it calls “linguistic gymnastics” to bypass a state open records law and cover up police misconduct.
Lawsuit alleges Minneapolis withholds police misconduct data
June 3, 2021
FacebookTwitterEmail
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) A group that advocates for government transparency sued the city of Minneapolis on Thursday, alleging it uses a loophole to circumvent public data laws and keep hundreds of police misconduct records from public view.
Under state law, complaints against police are classified as public if the officer is disciplined. But the lawsuit alleges that Minneapolis has said a form of one-on-one mentoring known as coaching doesn t rise to the level of discipline, so those records aren t released.
The lawsuit brought by the Minnesota Coalition on Government Information alleges the practice has promoted a culture of secrecy and allowed the department to operate without accountability, the Star Tribune reported. The lawsuit names the city, Police Chief Medaria Arradondo and other city officials as defendants, and asks a judge to force the city to release the records.
Minnesota Reformer
Getty Images.
If plumbers spent as much time giving each other awards as journalists, the streets would be flooded with water spewing from unfixed pipes.
That said, I’m proud that the
I hope in some small way it catalyzes a movement for better access to public records. (And obviously a better police department.)
There’s no more important role for the free press than scrutinizing state power, and no institution is invested with more power than the police, who can legally detain and kill their fellow citizens.
Public records are perhaps the most vital tool to scrutinize the institutions that most need it when we use them, we have a real time snapshot of government actions and correspondence, rather than relying on at-times unreliable sources with faulty memories and mixed motivations.
Provide more, not less, transparency on school decisions A decision by the Lakeville board highlights why openness should be a governing priority.
By EDITORIAL BOARD, Star Tribune February 2, 2021 5:32pm Text size Copy shortlink:
To allow for more robust discussions, the Lakeville school board has decided to stop broadcasting and recording work sessions in which members discuss district issues but do not take votes.
It s a disappointing move, especially during a pandemic in which students and families are even more hungry for information on board decisionmaking. In the interest of transparency and greater understanding about school operations, the board should reconsider.