As many people in the community are aware, Minneapolis police officers harass, beat, and even kill community members on a regular basis with impunity. The Star Tribune recently reported that out of 437 complaints against police officers in a year-long period, not one of the officers implicated had been punished. It is egregious enough that Minneapolitans, especially people of color, the homeless, and the poor, are being routinely harassed and beaten; but to make matters worse, when an officer is successfully sued for police brutality, it’s the taxpayers that pay for it. That’s right. When an officer is sued – sometimes in excess of $1 million in one case – the city automatically pays for these lawsuits out of the city’s general fund. This has amounted to $20 million of wasted taxpayer money in the past 7 years, in Minneapolis alone. In response to these myriad injustices, members of the Minneapolis group Communities United Against Police Brutality (CUAPB) banded together to form the Committee for Professional Policing (CfPP). CfPP’s first big undertaking is a charter amendment campaign to require police officers in Minneapolis to carry professional liability (malpractice) insurance. As previously mentioned, Minneapolis is currently self-indemnified, meaning that when an officer is successfully sued for brutality, the city automatically pays for the lawsuit and all court fees from the general fund. By requiring officers to carry professional liability insurance, the city will benefit from a risk management mechanism against brutality. In other words, an officer will face increased premiums on […]