DULUTH – A day after nine Minneapolis City Council members pledged to launch efforts to end the state's largest police force, city leaders in northeastern Minnesota's urban hub said they plan to engage the community as they consider public safety reforms.

"The authority of any police department comes from the people in the community," Duluth Police Chief Mike Tusken said at a news conference Monday. "To show that's important here, we build policies and practices with our community."

Tusken has condemned the actions of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who knelt on George Floyd's neck for almost nine minutes as the 46-year-old black man pleaded that he couldn't breathe, slipped into unconsciousness and later died.

"I think we are seeing a constituency in Minneapolis who has rejected the police and their authority," said Tusken, referencing calls from the Twin Cities to defund or dismantle police departments.

City Council President Gary Anderson said Monday that he has received numerous e-mails from Duluth residents asking the council to broach the subject of reforms that would shift dollars now allocated to law enforcement to other community needs.

Duluth Mayor Emily Larson said she expects all city departments to face cuts in the coming year due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has carved a potential $38 million shortfall in Duluth's budget. She added Monday that conversations about how the city wants to invest in public safety can be a part of the process of budgeting for 2021 that will happen over the next few months.

"A budget is a moral document," Larson said. "It will demonstrate your values."

City officials touted previous policies developed after extensive dialogue with residents — most recently, Duluth's Citizen Review Board developed a policy dictating when police can wear protective riot gear. The city is taking applications for two spots on the advisory body, which was created to serve as link between Duluth residents and the police.

Tusken also said Duluth police practice versions of the use-of-force policies recommended by the "8 Can't Wait" campaign, a national movement urging cities to implement eight guidelines that organizers say can reduce police killings. Among the campaign's recommendations are a ban on chokeholds and required warnings from officers firing a shot.

Archie Davis, the president of the Citizen Review Board, said though he thinks "there's still a lot of fear" surrounding how police treat people of color, right now he's not hearing cries in Duluth to disband law enforcement agencies.

"I don't foresee that here in Duluth," he said. "I think we're a little bit further advanced."

Katie Galioto • 612-673-4478