Lawsuit alleges Minneapolis withholds police misconduct data
June 3, 2021
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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) A group that advocates for government transparency sued the city of Minneapolis on Thursday, alleging it uses a loophole to circumvent public data laws and keep hundreds of police misconduct records from public view.
Under state law, complaints against police are classified as public if the officer is disciplined. But the lawsuit alleges that Minneapolis has said a form of one-on-one mentoring known as coaching doesn t rise to the level of discipline, so those records aren t released.
The lawsuit brought by the Minnesota Coalition on Government Information alleges the practice has promoted a culture of secrecy and allowed the department to operate without accountability, the Star Tribune reported. The lawsuit names the city, Police Chief Medaria Arradondo and other city officials as defendants, and asks a judge to force the city to release the records.