Minneapolis PD's Third Precinct Has Long History of Abuse: Report

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – The City of Minneapolis paid out $2.1 million to settle police misconduct claims involving officers from the police department’s Third Precinct over a 10-year stretch, which is evidence that aggressive policing took place long before the death of George Floyd, according to a published report.

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported over the weekend that the Third Precinct has long been a “playground” for renegade officers who have a long track record of abusive behavior. The $2.1 million was paid out between 2007-2017, according to the report, which details various incidents in which officers were heavy-handed in dealing with the public.

The report comes in the weeks following the death of Floyd, who died while in police custody when former officer Derek Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes. The Third Precinct, the report stated, has a track record of dealing with suspects of non-violent, low-level crimes involving people of color.

Chauvin along with the other three officers were charged in Floyd’s death are former members of the Third Precinct. But the report states that the behavior of the four officers only tips the iceberg of decades of abusive behavior within the Minneapolis Police Department.

That behavior, specifically in Floyd’s case, has sparked national outrage and unrest in cities across the country. On Sunday, nine members of the Minneapolis City Council said they will vote to have the Minneapolis Police Department disbanded in light of the Memorial Day incident in which Floyd was killed.

The Star-Tribune reported that 74 percent of police cases involve people of color, which make up 40 percent of Minneapolis’s population. The paper, citing a 2019 report, indicates that 63 percent of the cases involving force by officers involve African American suspects and that since 2019, complaints against police officers have remained on the rise.

In a statement to the Star-Tribune, Police Chief Medaria Arradondo said that after taking over the department, he released a “vision statement” outlining his expectations for every officer on the force.

“There is no precinct, shift or staff member that is exempt from these expectations,” Arradondo said to the paper. “Staff that deviates from these expectations shall be subjected to corrective action to bring them into compliance with expectations.”