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There is a history of a strong dual standard of law enforcement using abrasive/abusive police practices in our country and communities. There has been report after report detailing the long history of police prejudice and bad behavior. Social research in the field has substantiated this behavior for decades. So what are lawmakers doing about it?

Out of the blue has come an idea which is advancing across the country: body cameras.

The idea is being pushed by law enforcement as a concept to bring accountability. But they also want to use

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MINNEAPOLIS — A local group named Twin Cities IWW General Defense Committee released a report claiming Lt. Bob Kroll, the head of the Minneapolis Police Federation, has an existing racial bias and points out multiple disciplinary actions against him.

The report contains links to stories by other various news outlets with reports of lawsuits brought against the Minneapolis Police Department as well as the city and specifically Kroll himself.

In 2009 a lawsuit was brought against Kroll and other members of MPD regarding an off duty motorcycle club whose website featured members

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The Minnesota Legislature is being pushed hard by law enforcement interests to make much body camera video unavailable to the public. The Minnesota Senate has already passed a bill making secret a fair amount of body camera video. Law enforcement is pushing hard for secrecy because they want to keep from the public the ability to monitor police prejudice, abusive/abrasive behavior and practices, and the dual standard of law enforcement that is in our community. Bottom line, law enforcement does not want the public to have the power to do the oversight of

What We Know

Jamar Clark, 24, a resident of North Minneapolis was shot in the head by Minneapolis police (MPD) officers on Sunday the 15th at around 1:00am.

Witness and MPD accounts of the incident vary which has fueled protests demanding answers and justice (more on the protests below). Teto Wilson, a local business owner, has been quoted by several news agencies stating that he observed MPD handcuff Clark, slam him into the ground and furthermore insists that he was not resisting. Lisa Neal Delgado, another witness, noted that Clark was on the ground when he

Rashad Turner, best known for his role as an organizer for the Black Lives Matter movement, is running for a seat on the School Board in St. Paul. The Turner campaign enjoys the support and endorsement of the Minnesota Green Party and activist groups in the Twin Cities. We asked a few questions to present as a candidate profile and high-lite civic action through ‘write-in’ candidacy. The #WriteinRashadTurner campaign platform is available here.

What effectively does a seat on the St. Paul School Board mean?

“It means bringing the voice of the most disenfranchised and impoverished

Given today’s revelations about the long suspected capabilities of Stingray and similar cellphone surveillance equipment, the sins of the past are coming to light. At least one high level law enforcement official within Minnesota lied to the press and the public about the power of these technologies.

According to documents obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), cell-site simulators which go by names like Stingray and Kingfish, are much more advanced than previously believed. These tools enable the government, from Federal down to local, the ability to snoop on and record the content of cellphones.

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Oral arguments were heard this morning at Minneapolis Federal Court over the controversial Drug Recognition Evaluator (DRE) program which would determine whether or not this issue moves to a jury trial. The stated purpose of the DRE program is to train law enforcement officers how to identify and interact with members of the public who are under the influence of any number of illicit substances.

Shocking admissions from officers involved in the Department of Public Safety approved program include that crack cocaine was smoked in a Minneapolis Police building, officers handed illicit drugs in an attempt

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The City of Bloomington has violated multiple state laws in regards to transparency and openness of government alleges a suit by public records investigator Tony Webster. Most severe of the allegations against the City, which was responsible for policing the recent Black Lives Matter protests at the Mall of America, includes that staff intentionally deleted data responsive to legitimate public records requests as well as other illegal obstructionism and has failed to uphold Minnesota Government Data Practices Act (MGDPA) obligations.

The matter will appear in court before Judge Laurie Miller for oral arguments on

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In the underbelly of discussion with body cameras in Minnesota is the “it costs too much money” argument. The bemoaning and griping of many law enforcement and local government officials can be heard before the Legislature, city councils, and other venues. Andy Skoogman, executive director of the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association, has said to the Star Tribune protecting “departments from costly and time-consuming editing” from public data requests, is one reason why they support in the Legislature, HF430/SF498. The bill makes basically all videos collected by body cameras private or

Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek, in a report by the Star Tribune from early September, claimed that the recent 27% increase in violent crime in the County’s suburbs was due to racial diversification of the nations population.

That comment was not scrutinized through records request by the Star Tribune, and that’s where the North Star Post began inquiries.

The Post submitted a government data practices act request, similar to a Freedom of Information Act request but within the realm of state and local government. The request simply asked for the criminal data that the Sheriff used