DOJ report praises, criticizes Minneapolis police response to chaotic 2015 protests

By Brian Seay

Police and demonstrators clash outside the Minneapolis Police Department 4th Precinct building on Nov. 18, 2015. (Photo: Jeff Wheeler/Star Tribune)
The police response to 18 days of protests following the police killing of a black man in Minneapolis is under the microscope in a report released Monday by the Department of Justice.
The 99-page report found the city and the Minneapolis Police Department could improve coordination and communication during such demonstrations, but also praised officers for their professionalism.
“Regardless of whether it’s because I lacked the bandwidth or I was constrained by legal reasons or I simply lacked the skill, I did not communicate in a way that would have helped the situation get better. Sorry. I am sorry,” said Mayor Betsy Hodges at a news conference, according to the Twin Cities Pioneer Press.
Hodges and Minneapolis Police Chief Janee Harteau requested the review, which was conducted by the Community Oriented Policing Services arm of the DOJ. The report provided a detailed, day by day breakdown of events from the point of view of law enforcement, the government, and members of the community.
Protestors set up a makeshift camp outside the fourth precinct police station in Minneapolis following the police-involved shooting of 24-year-old Jamar Clark

Source: Guns.com