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I am an unabashed supporter of fair, effective, just and trusted policing, which I believe the men and women of the Minneapolis Police Department largely deliver to our community day in and day out. I was also president and CEO of the Minneapolis Downtown Council in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd. We didn’t flee from our partners at the MPD as so many did, but we did state emphatically that friends tell friends the truth. And the truth then and still today is that reform of training, discipline, and operational and other procedures and policies is essential to build an even more fair, effective, just and trusted department. For this reason it’s exactly the wrong move for the U.S. Department of Justice consent decree to be suspended, as the Trump administration may consider based on Minnesota Star Tribune reporting (“Trump could end MPD reform plan consent decree,” Nov. 13). Rather than help the MPD and the community move forward toward an even safer future for all, it would be a major setback.
Steve Cramer, Minneapolis
The writer is former president and CEO of the Minneapolis Downtown Council.
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The Star Tribune’s report on the disturbing and deadly conditions under which Hennepin County jail’s inmates are held ought to make Minnesotans disgusted and ashamed (“State orders Hennepin County jail to reduce inmate numbers,” Nov. 9).
The way our society treats inmates speaks volumes about our collective moral character. Prisoners and defendants facing criminal charges are incredibly vulnerable to the whims of the state, public officials and the guards and law enforcement officers overseeing them.