26-05-2025
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."
