Minneapolis Police Department reform delivers mixed results, independent evaluator says
Five years after George Floyd's murder the Minneapolis Police Department is getting a mixed review on reform.
A report by the Effective Law Enforcement for All, an independent evaluator, says "the City and MPD have made more progress towards building a foundation for sustainable reform in the first year of monitoring than nearly any other jurisdiction".
Michael Harrison is the lead on the ELEFA team.
"This is a much different department than it was five years ago, but the one year we have been here, we have seen great work and hard work being put in," Harrison said.
Police Chief Brian O'Hara acknowledges the department has indeed changed.
"Our officers are beginning to heal. This has been very, very difficult for people," O'Hara said. "I think they are starting to be proud of what they do again."
The report pointed to a large clearance of backlogs for use-of-force cases, from 1,158 in September 2024 to 322 in March 2025.
But the report also cited a risk factor for the city completing its compliance goal: the report says some of the changes have taken more time than expected. The report also sites some individual officer pushback during training.
The report also cites a "serious issue" with "classroom behavior of some MPD personnel."
Harrison says the objections to new training is to be expected.
The report also cites slow progress with new field officer training; Officer Derek Chauvin was a field training officer and was training two other officers on the scene when he killed Floyd.
Still, Harrison believes Minneapolis police are making significant strides.
The contract with the independent evaluator and the city of Minneapolis is for four years. Over the next three years, the ELEFA team will release additional reports on how Minneapolis police are progressing towards reform.
The Minnesota Department of Human Rights issued a statement on the report saying, "the tremendous amount of work ahead for the city, including MPD, cannot be understated."
