A mural of George Floyd at 38th Street and Chicago Avenue E. pictured in 2020.
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The city of Minneapolis and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights have selected the independent group that will oversee federal and state consent decrees to address the city’s pattern of discriminatory policing.
Effective Law Enforcement for All (ELEFA) is a nonprofit that works to reinvent law enforcement and decrease use-of-force incidents. The group has offices in Louisiana and Maryland, and is led by David Douglass, who has worked as the deputy monitor for the city of New Orleans. New Orleans was also ordered to reform its police department under a federal consent decree.
The team will oversee the city and Minneapolis Police Department’s progress, work with community members and police, and issue public reports.
“It is essential to have a highly qualified, independent monitor to ensure that the City and MPD center and prioritize a culture of continuous learning based on humanity and civil rights — Effective Law Enforcement for All is that team,” MDHR Commissioner Rebecca Lucero said in a news release.
Minneapolis is the first city in the country to be assigned both a federal and state consent decree, Lucero said in the release.
Twenty teams applied to monitor the consent decrees, and three were selected as finalists. The finalists met with community members last month.
Michelle Gross, president of Communities United Against Police Brutality, said she is pleased with the decision to make ELEFA the monitor. She thinks the group will be able to look at MPD’s culture, which she says is Minneapolis’ “biggest problem.”
Gross emphasized that it’s important community input be at the forefront as the consent decrees move forward.
“We have worked very hard to ensure that the community is not just at the table but at the head of the table,” she said.
In the coming weeks, ELEFA will meet with police officers and community members.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said in a news release that the selection of an independent monitor marks a critical step in the process.
“The ongoing work to reform and rebuild the Minneapolis Police Department will demand a wholesale commitment to collaboration, accountability, and transparency from across this local government,” Frey said. “With the selection of an Independent Evaluator, we’re continuing to advance the years-long work to build a more just approach to safety in our city.”
The MDHR began investigating Minneapolis and its police department after George Floyd’s murder in 2020. The agency found that the city and the MPD had a pattern of violating the state’s civil rights law. The MDHR report said racial disparities exist in how Minneapolis police use force, and accountability measures are deficient.
Last year, the MDHR and the city reached a court agreement, which was approved in July.
Last June, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it found the city and the MPD in violation of the U.S. Constitution. The DOJ investigation concluded that Minneapolis police regularly use excessive force and discriminate against Black and Indigenous people.
The DOJ is currently negotiating a federal court agreement with the city and the MPD.
ELEFA will monitor both of these consent decrees. The DOJ provided input during the monitor selection process.
The contract still needs approval from the Minneapolis City Council. ELEFA is projected to start work in early March.
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