And we have a problem half addressed.
"As the Attorney General and the Justice Department stated today, they will continue to work with the City and the Minneapolis Police Department on the reforms necessary to remedy the unlawful conduct outlined in the report. The prosecutions of the George Floyd murder case were one step towards accountability, and long-term policing reforms must be the other."
Probably the best thing to think is that her perspective has enlarged and since days as top town prosecutor her outlook has grown wider. It is that or hypocrisy.
Was Kroll on the force throughout her time as prosecutor?
That said, there is hope things will improve. Surely with Democrats being elected, including progressives, there should be fewer George Floyd situations but to expect that has ended might be a little too much a rose-colored glasses view.
In closing, the 8/12 adage remains true for anyone taking the job. It remains better to be found guilty by a jury of eight, than to be carried by a dozen pallbearers.
It is a job with danger. Daily risk can lead to a counterproductive view. Never surrender your weapon remains a core rule. Some handle the job with distinction and are quality people - and unfortunately they are not the ones who make the headlines. Headlines are on the Floyd killers, and Kroll. Not the best. Not the brightest. The best do the job with luck to not be killed doing it, and with class enough to avoid bad headlines. Kroll at least had the good luck.
Luckily, Strib's approach was to quote office holders. Hence James Schultz was not sought out to offer a viewpoint. Luckily for the State, he lost and hopefully that means for the remainder of his life his opinions will be irrelevant among office holders. The Republicans should flinch over their choice to run him and Wardlow.
____________UPDATE__________
Part of this Strib report:
The report cited numerous occasions where police responded to a mental health crisis when no law enforcement response was required, or cases in which tragedy could have been avoided with de-escalation.
One incident was the 2018 killing of Travis Jordan, who was in the throes of a mental health crisis when his girlfriend called a non-emergency line asking for help. Officers were directed not to force their way into the home, but when they called him to come out, he emerged agitated and holding a knife.
"Responders could have taken more time to understand and de-escalate the situation, such as by allowing the man to stay inside the home, engaging in dialogue, attempting to gather other information from the girlfriend or other sources, and having officers on standby," the report said. "Such strategies may have avoided the use of force that ended the man's life."
There is a lot there. First, more time to deescalate. Unless the force is larger, there is not enough time, calls need prompt, possibly wrong responses. Reform in terms of a community services segment of the force were defeated in a ballot proposal.
I recall in the '80s -'90s time frame walking to work in Seattle, encountering an elderly man showing dementia while walking past the downtown travel bus terminal (remember Greyhound) before cell phones. After briefly speaking with him I used a pay phone to call 911 to explain the situation. A community service officer came. She had a different uniform, tan not blue, not carrying lethal force, and experienced. I waited and it was a prompt response, than I was able to continue to work after involving a trained professional.
That was a ballot proposal, in Minneapolis recently, community service policing, but was propagandized by crass opposition opinion, and defeated. It made sense so the Trumpsters got out the vote to defeat it. Something like that. In effect, reform was voted down. Sad.
That same Strib item ended:
"Given the considerable challenges of the last several years in the Minneapolis community — from the COVID-19 pandemic to the widespread trauma and unrest following George Floyd's tragic murder — providing officers with emotional and psychological support is important to ensure that officer stress and fatigue do not contribute to constitutional violations," the report said.
The report concluded by listing 27 remedial measures that the Justice Department said could help improve the MPD. They included changes to use of force training and misconduct reporting, better collection of data of the race of those involved in police encounters, and improved accountability for First Amendment violations.
The report said city leaders "have been forthcoming about the need for reform."
"What we saw in the report is heartbreaking, and I think everybody in Minneapolis recognizes that," Garland said.
"Emotional and psychological support" is interesting from another angle. In Minnesota two of the professional basketball players injured hand bones punching a wall in frustration, Kevin Love before the trade, and Jaden McDaniels before the recently concluded 2023 playoffs. The need for "emotional and psychological support" is widespread beyond police stress, and at a guess Love and McDaniels ought to talk with one another.
Every job has stress. Personal relationships have stress. Some people can manage it without negative dimensions. Others flare. It is a duty of the community to note high stress public jobs and to care for workers who hold them.
The AG report is online as a pdf document, here.