Minnesota Gov. Walz signs police accountability bill sparked by George Floyd's death
MINNEAPOLIS _ Gov. Tim Walz signed into law a sweeping package of police accountability measures Thursday, making Minnesota the latest state to adopt changes to law enforcement in the wake of George Floyd's death.
The legislation, which passed a divided Legislature with broad bipartisan support earlier this week, ushers in some of the most significant changes to the state criminal justice system in years.
"Every single person, every single Minnesotan deserves to feel safe and protected in their communities," Walz said. "This bipartisan piece of legislation moves us toward a critical step toward criminal justice reform"
Major policy shifts include a statewide ban on chokeholds and neck restraints _ such as the one used on Floyd _ and a prohibition on taxpayer-funded warrior-style training for officers. The measure also creates requirements for data collection related to deadly force encounters and officer intervention and establishes a new arbitration panel for police misconduct cases.
The measure, which takes effect Aug. 1, is the product of weeks of intense negotiation at the Capitol amid mounting pressure to reform policing in Minnesota and beyond. Legislator from both parties have heralded the agreement as an example of lawmakers, activists against police brutality and law enforcement groups coming together to find common ground and enact necessary changes. Still, many advocates said the reforms didn't go far enough.
_Star Tribune (Minneapolis)
