Walz Pushes For Voting Restoration, Ending 'Warrior' Training

TWIN CITIES, MN — A day after Gov. Tim Walz announced that police reform would be a top priority for this summer's special legislative session, he stood with House Speaker Melissa Hortman, Senate Minority Leader Susan Kent, and members of the Minnesota People of Color and Indigenous Caucus to announce specific measures he is pushing for.

The special session will begin June 12.

"Minnesotans are demanding real change," Walz stated. "We stand united with House and Senate leaders and the People of Color and Indigenous Caucus, ready to get to work during the upcoming special session. I stand with the legislators who have coordinated a powerful set of reforms to make meaningful changes to our law enforcement system in Minnesota."

Below are priorities the Walz Administration says it is working for:

Use of Force

Reform of the keystone statute that defines when law enforcement is justified in using deadly force to prioritize sanctity of life.

Alternatives to Policing

The Walz Administration wants to create new models of ensuring public safety by:

• Creating a new office within DPS to administer grants to community-based violence-intervenors and problem solvers to intercept violence and reduce interactions with law enforcement
• Providing funding for a co-responder form of policing that pairs officers with social worker when responding to crisis calls and welfare checks.

Police Oversight Reform

According to Walz's office, this measure includes:

1) The expansion of the Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) board and creation of a Police-Community Relations Council at the POST Board

2) Reforming how arbitrations of the termination of law enforcement officers are handled

3) Requiring robust, real-time data collection and analysis of complaint, discipline and use of force data and use it to inform reforms at the POST Board, particularly as it relates to licensure decisions."

Voting Restoration

Walz's office says they want to end "the disenfranchisement of over 50,000 Minnesotans."

"Those who are not serving a sentence in a prison facility – who are in their communities and contributing to their families and rebuilding their lives – must be provided their right to vote, regardless of supervision status."

Community Healing

Creates a grant program to fund "professional community healers trained to respond to systemic oppression-induced historic and present-day trauma through supportive services."

Independent Prosecution and Investigation Reform

Provides the attorney general with independent jurisdiction for the prosecution of police-involved deaths and create an independent investigation unit within Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for police-involved cases.

Training Expansion

Expands training in de-escalation and mental health crisis intervention.

Warrior Training and Choke Holds Prohibited

Prohibits the use of all restraints or holds by law enforcement that purposely restrict a person’s airways or blood flow and ends the use of warrior-style training.