According to the Minneapolis Police Department's Use of Force Dashboard, the number of use of force incidents in 2022 reached a record high of 3,928.
By July 2024, there had been 1,240 use-of-force incidents. If this trend continues, it would mark a significant decrease in the number of reported incidents over the past two years.
MPD Deputy Chief Travis Grampe said the standards for use of force are broad.
“When we talk about use of force, we don't just mean holding someone's hand to stop them, we also mean using a taser or a firearm,” Grampe said.
Grampe told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that a renewed focus on training has been key to the downward trend in use-of-force incidents.
“We train to only use force that is reasonable, necessary and proportionate to the situation that we're dealing with,” Grampe said. “Our training has a new emphasis on de-escalation techniques, the sanctity of life, all of the things that we've really focused on over the last few years, and that training is starting to pay off.”
Minneapolis City Councilwoman LaTrisha Betau told KSTP she's encouraged by the new data showing a downward trend.
“I'm not surprised. I'm happy the numbers are continuing to go down and I expect they'll continue to go down,” Betau said. “You can actually see it when you look at how police are different and better than they were before. I think that's a big factor. It's the use of force and police interactions.”
Betau said if the numbers remain stable through the end of the year, he will ask MPD to make a presentation in front of the full City Council.
There was also a significant decrease in the number of use-of-force incidents in 2023, but MPD said that year used different criteria and 2024 used the same criteria as 2022, making the two years comparable.
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