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CBS News
2 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Minneapolis police chief calls federal law enforcement's actions "tone-deaf" after chaotic raid
Minneapolis leaders have addressed concerns following Tuesday's chaotic clash between protesters, police, deputies and federal law enforcement. It happened just before noon outside Las Cuatro Milpas restaurant off East Lake Street and Bloomington Avenue. The Department of Homeland Security says it was executing multiple search warrants and didn't make an arrest, calling the operation "groundbreaking." But crowds quickly gathered at the scene, many believing it was an immigration raid. City leaders soon released statements about the operation's actual purpose. "This incident was related to a criminal search warrant for drugs and money laundering and was not related to immigration enforcement," said Mayor Jacob Frey on Tuesday. Police and the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office also released statements echoing the same explanation. During a joint press conference about their "Operation Safe Summer" plan, Frey and Police Chief Brian O'Hara said they didn't know about the operation until it was already underway. Sheriff Dawanna Witt said her office had some knowledge of what was going to happen, but she could only say it was tied to a "transnational criminal organization" — one of eight warrants executed across Minnesota linked to human trafficking. WCCO All said that while Tuesday's operation was necessary, it was poorly planned, and O'Hara criticized the actions of federal law enforcement. "I had concerns and I have relayed them to our federal partners," O'Hara said. "I think the matter in which some of it was handled was tone-deaf for the situation. I think there's no question everybody learned yesterday just how heightened and how tense the issue of immigration enforcement in this city is." Frey, O'Hara and Witt also slammed local leaders for reacting without the facts, emphasizing the raid wasn't tied to immigration despite the presence of agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Minneapolis City Councilman Jeremiah Ellison called local and federal agents involved "faux military clowns," while mayoral candidate and state Sen. Omar Fateh called it "blatant facism." "When things are tense and heightened and spiraling out of control, you need leaders to step back and gather the facts and deal with the situation that was unfolding," O'Hara said. WCCO went to Hennepin County District Court and found federal search warrants connected to the raid, but they were sealed. This story will be updated.
CBS News
3 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Crowd gathers on Minneapolis' Lake Street amid federal "criminal investigation"; sheriff says it's not immigration related
Twin Cities law enforcement officials say they played no part in "any immigration enforcement" on Tuesday in south Minneapolis amid a business raid they say is tied to "a criminal investigation." A crowd of protestors are gathered outside Las Cuatro Milpas restaurant off Bloomington Avenue and East Lake Street, appearing to believe the situation is an immigration round-up. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey released this statement on Tuesday afternoon about the situation: "I'm aware of the operation federal agencies carried out today near Lake and Bloomington. While we're still gathering details, this incident was related to a criminal search warrant for drugs & money laundering and was not related to immigration enforcement. No arrests were made." A WCCO crew at the scene spoke with a witness who provided video of demonstrators screaming at law enforcement members, with some hurling objects onto Lake Street to stop a military-style vehicle. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara is also seen in the footage speaking with an agitated man on a sidewalk. The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office says it's assisting "federal agencies" in the investigation, including a warrant execution late Tuesday morning at a business off Bloomington Avenue and East Lake Street. The sheriff's office says its partnership includes "execution of multiple search warrants at multiple locations in the metro area," in addition to Tuesday's situation. "This incident was not related to any immigration enforcement. HCSO has no involvement in civil immigration. HCSO enforces criminal statutes and works on criminal investigations. We work with federal partners regularly on those criminal investigations," the sheriff's office said in a statement. @ The Minneapolis Police Department says its officers came to the scene of Tuesday's warrant execution after a crowd began to gather, adding they are ensuring "the crowd and the surrounding area" remain safe. Police say they didn't have "advance notice" of the federal operation, and "any claims to the contrary are false." They also echoed the sheriff's office's statement that it isn't related to immigration enforcement. The organization COPAL (Comunidades Organizando el Poder y la Acción Latina) released a statement on Tuesday afternoon saying its members came to the scene "to ensure that constitutional rights and legal due process are respected." "In situations like the enforcement today, it's important that there are signed warrants in place, the right to peaceful assembly is protected, and that no Minnesotan, no human being is treated as 'collateral,'" said COPAL's Ryan Perez. This story will be updated.
CBS News
27-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Federal judge dismisses Minneapolis Police Department's proposed consent decree
The Minneapolis Police Department is no longer under federal oversight after a judge ruled on Tuesday to dismiss a proposed consent decree "with prejudice," meaning it can't be filed again. The federally mandated reforms came in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd. Sunday marked five years since his death, which was marked by communities in the Twin Cities and across the U.S. Last week, the Trump administration's Department of Justice asked that the proposed consent decree get tossed out, alleging it "would have imposed years of micromanagement by federal courts … and potentially hundreds of millions of dollars of compliance costs." Despite Judge Paul A. Magnuson's dismissal, a separate reform agreement with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights is still in place, and both Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara and Mayor Jacob Frey say they'll press forward. "The bottom line is that we are doing it anyway. We will implement every reform in the 169-page consent decree," Frey said in a statement released on Tuesday. "Minneapolis is making great progress on police reform, and we don't need permission from Washington or a federal judge to keep pushing forward." The Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis also released a statement after Magnuson's ruling, saying it appreciates the decision, adding "additional oversight is unnecessary." The Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division also ended its investigations into seven other police departments. This story will be updated.
CBS News
26-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Police chiefs weigh in on state of policing 5 years after murder of George Floyd
The calls for change were loud across the country following the murder of George Floyd. Many are calling for police accountability and transparency. In 2022, WCCO brought together police chiefs for a candid conversation about policing and use of force as part of a WCCO special. Jennifer Mayerle sat down with the departments recently to talk about the State of Policing, five years after the events of 2020. And this time, Minneapolis agreed to participate. "Coming in and as the chief in 2022, two years later, it seems that very obvious to me just how much pain and hurt and trauma and open wounds there are, and they're still here. People want to move forward, which is what we're trying to do together," Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said. "It affected every city, every police department. So, how are we trying to rebuild those relationships, that trust, even though we weren't involved in that? And I think we've made great strides, but we still have a lot of work to do," Eagan Police Chief Eric Werner said. "And so we've come together. I think more had a more of a magnetic effect, as opposed to a dividing effect. And those conversations are ongoing and they're growing," St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry said. "We have a lot of support with from our residents. But it's not given to us. It's because we've worked hard to earn it. We're involved and engaged in our community," Eagan Police Chief Roger New said. "What can we do to make sure everybody feels safe, whatever definition they use. And so really, for the last four or five years, that has been our goal," Minnetonka Police Chief Scott Boerboom said. In 2022, St. Paul police agreed to show us how they train with a focus on using less force. Since then, Henry has become police chief. And the department saw two deadly shootings by officers, both were found to be justified. "When we've had to have conversations around those topics, you can say you have a great relationship, but if you're not able to actually sit down and have that conversation around an actual event or something that has occurred, you really don't ever really test that relationship. It's all in theory. Ours has been tested, and obviously all of us would prefer that we need zero force, but when that's been tested, we actually get to show up, and that's when the authenticity matters, when some of the trust matters, that's when the honesty matters," Henry said. Maple Grove has a new regional high-tech facility where several agencies train with a goal of safer interactions with the community. The Police Accountability Act of 2020 addressed when deadly force is authorized, enacted a ban on chokeholds, and requires a duty to intervene, plus mental health training. "How do you train someone's mind and their techniques and their muscle memory to now make a split-second decision under these new rules? So we've had to intentionally focus on that so we can make sure our officers are prepared when they go on the streets," Werner said. "One of the greatest lessons that we learned is probably taking a slower approach to how we do all things and we're more methodical. We're leveraging things like technology more so than ever. One of the biggest things that really needs to continue is training. Training, training, training, training," New said. There's also more focus on the well-being of an officer. "Recognizing the trauma. They see a lot and they go on to the next call and the next call. And so, I think every department has recognized that. And are, you know, implementing different strategies to help, you know, peer support. We have a dog that monitors our hallway. He's a therapy dog," Boerboom said. Back in Minneapolis, O'Hara said: "Front of mind for me, day in day out, is the reality of public safety in the city. Particularly with the depleted workforce here and the added work that we have to do to do reform, is just trying to do everything that we can to respond as urgently as possible to the most serious crimes that are happening in the community, but also ensure that we're doing it In ways and we're showing up in ways that help build trust. And I think, I just think from the feedback we've gotten from the folks who live here, we've been making progress." Staffing remains an issue with fewer people getting into the policing profession. The chiefs say they are not willing to sacrifice standards to fill positions. But things are getting better. Minneapolis police reports their next cadet class will be the largest since the 90s. Click here to watch our WCCO original, "State of Policing."
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Minneapolis police chief continues to work toward change
Five years after the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, the city is still reckoning with the calls for police reform that followed. Police chief Brian O'Hara, who was sworn in in November 2022, has been adamant about implementing changes from within that lead to safer streets and more positive interactions with Minneapolis police. Still, O'Hara said Floyd's death is still an "open wound" in the city. While police data shows shootings are trending down, Minneapolis is one of the few major cities where violent crime has not improved much since 2020, according to an analysis of the Major Cities Chiefs Association violent crime report. Crime in the city "skyrocketed" after Floyd's death and the protests that followed, O'Hara said, while "the numbers of the police force just diminished." "People have a very, very basic need to feel safe, and that has been taken away for a lot of people because of everything that's happened since," said O'Hara. The officer shortage continues to strain the department. In 2024, O'Hara told CBS News that the Minneapolis Police Department was short by about 200 officers. "I go to these crime scenes. I've been standing there, boys, teenagers, men are dead in the street, and moms behind the crime scene tape wailing, and I'm going through my head thinking, 'We've had so many murders already this week, what happens if someone else dies?'" O'Hara said. "We don't have enough homicide investigators. I mean, it's been that critical at times. The urgency of the problem is real." Still, O'Hara is determined to make a difference with the resources he does have. He has focused on "getting back to the basics" and ensuring that "everything we do revolves around both reducing crime while earning trust with the community." O'Hara has also worked to "restore some pride in this profession" to try to draw more officers back to the job, and tried to change the culture in the department. Minneapolis police have also adjusted arrest tactics and are working on community engagement and officer training. "In my experience, the people who are here today are dramatically different from the impression that I had of this department in 2020," O'Hara said. Earlier this week, the Justice Department announced it was ending investigations of six police agencies and canceling consent decrees proposed for Louisville and Minneapolis. O'Hara said that reform efforts will continue, even without the federal oversight. The Minneapolis City Council approved the consent decree in January. Minneapolis resident Omar Mohammed told "CBS Saturday Morning" that he was impressed with the changes he has seen over the past few years. "The new chief did a great, great job, because what I see now is, before, police used to pull over everybody, the kids on the street, they used to use a lot of difficult stuff, you know?" Mohammed said. "A lot of big things changed, that's what I see." Here's how much Qatar's plane gifted to Trump administration will cost to retrofit 4 women arrested for allegedly aiding escaped New Orleans inmates Biggest takeaways from RFK Jr.'s MAHA report
