Our Impact

Recommendations for the police contract

Read Every Page Of The Police Contract To Write 14 Recommendations in 2019

Solicited every City Council member, except one former member who would not meet with us, and each supported one to ALL recommendations

Elevated Contract Reform As An Essential To Police Accountability Work

Current progressive City Council members now consistently mention contract reform with police accountability.

Scrubbed Current Police Federation Contract And Now 22 Recommendations for 2023

MFBPC has established this practice for future Police Federation contracts.

Sued the City and Won!

Settled A Lawsuit To Protect The Public’s Right To Know About Police Federation Contract

Mpls For A Better Police Contract v. City Of Minneapolis, Court File No. 27-CV-21-7783, 4th Judicial District, Hennepin County District Court. In a David versus Goliath-type win, MFBPC obtained remarkable concessions from the City. This includes the City having to provide the dates, times, and locations of all negotiations between the City and Police Federation over three contract cycles to December 2028.

Modeled Inclusive Decision-Making Throughout The Lawsuit

Although two MFBPC Steering Committee members served as co-counsel in the lawsuit, throughout the entire lawsuit, all decisions were vetted and made as a group by the entire Steering Committee. Lawyers have particular expertise, but MFBPC knows those in the community have subject matter expertise and years of experience that helped us to prevail with our lawsuit.

Exposed The Police Federation’s Undue Influence On The City

MFBPC was persistent in its Data Requests, which uncovered how the Police Federation disingenuously moved for non-public mediation after we demanded access to public negotiations. We then exposed the City’s collusion to exclude the public.

Kept The Police Federation Out Of Our Lawsuit

In a victory that stunned local attorneys, MFBPC fought off the Police Federation’s motion to interject itself into our lawsuit. We were not intimidated by their bravado or the City’s capitulation. This provides a precedent for other police reform lawsuits.

Defeated City’s Motion To Dismiss Our Case

In defeating the City’s motion, MFBPC kept the court case alive. This directly led to the City turning over almost 200 pages in documents that it denied existed. Had its motion succeeded, these documents would have remained concealed. MFBPC’s remarkable settlement included access to police negotiation sessions, attorneys’ fees, and increased awareness of the public’s rights to attend public negotiations.

District Court Judge Bridget Sullivan Acknowledged Our Contribution To Police Reform

“The City’s contracts with the police union did not move forward with everything that we had hoped would move forward after the killing of George Floyd with a different kind of policing in our City. But, I know that change comes very hard and slow. And, I do think that there are people of good faith in the City that want that work for the City, that want to see this happen. I also know that change doesn’t come without pressure from people like the Plaintiffs.” October 13, 2022

Minneapolis City Council

Five City Council Members Voted Against The Police Federation Contract

For the first time in decades, the City Council did not rubber stamp the Police Federation contract. Elliott Payne (Ward 1) Robin Wonsley (Ward 2), Jeremiah Ellison (Ward 5), Jason Chavez (Ward 9), and Aisha Chughtai (Ward 10) voted against the contract, frustrated with an inexcusably fast turnaround to make a decision, and the lack of information on changes. This included a new provision the City went along with to mandate a police officer be given the name of any member of the public who requests data about that officer.

City Council Denounced The Contract And Review Process

Council members criticized the rushed process, the cursory information provided by City staff Mayor, and the lack of opportunity for public review and feedback.

• “Council Member Jeremiah Ellison, said they feared approving the deal would send a message to the police union that the city is willing to approve any deal if the threat of arbitration hangs overhead. ‘What’s to prevent a future council of 2025 or 2026 of being in this exact same scenario where negotiations have stalled, where we’ve sort of reached an impasse and they are voting for a contract with the promise that the next one will be better, that the next one is where the real work will begin.’”

• “’(This is) an agreement that’s completely blind to the reality we lived through in the last two years,’ said Ward 1 council member Elliot Payne, who opposed the contract. ‘There’s a lot of complexity in this that we need to address.’”

• “’The lack of community input and transparency, a requirement to email officers who made a public data request about them, and the shortfall of accountability and discipline was enough for me to vote no,’ explained Ward 9 council member Chavez.”

City Council Skepticism On Real Reforms

• “Council Member Robin Wonsley Worlobah expressed frustration with a ‘shifting goalpost,’ noting that Frey and some of her council colleagues had previously described the union contract as an obstacle to reform. ‘I’m seeing a lot of deflection,’ she said, adding that she didn’t believe the contract would ensure reforms are enacted.” “Those at the bargaining table missed a really key opportunity, including the mayor.’’ “This contract will not usher in the reforms ... necessary to overhaul our very dysfunctional police department right now.”

• “Even council members who voted to approve the contract said they were disappointed with its contents. Council Member Andrew Johnson said he supported the contract to avoid sending it to an arbitrator, but that he was disappointed about the ‘lack of substantive change’ in the deal.”

Requirements of the city

New City Website Page Devoted To Police Federation Contract

The City must publish information on Police Federation contract negotiations on the City’s website through a dedicated page. Members of the public will now know in advance when Police Federation contract negotiations begin, and every session scheduled.

First Ever “Listening Sessions”

Our work resulted in increased public interest, forcing the City to hold its first meetings to gather community input on the Police Federation contract. The “Listening Sessions” were terrible flawed due to the City’s insistence on controlling the narrative, and, disappointingly, the “final report” was nothing more than typed-up raw notes. Nonetheless, MFBPC has ensured the precedent has been set for public input on the police contract. We will continue to fight for transparency and inclusion of public demands in the Police Federation contract.