complaints against Minneapolis police officers. Most of the complaints filed
there do not go to a full investigation. Many cases are dismissed after a
preliminary intake investigation; many others are referred to the precinct
supervisor for a much less formal investigation, which can only lead to
"coaching," not considered discipline. The cases that do result in a full
investigation are the ones that then go to a panel of two civilians and two
police officers, who make a recommendation to the chief of police.
But there seems to be a trend in the number of cases that are going to full
investigations. Here, by year, are all of the numbers since 2013, shortly after
the OPCR was established:
2013: 78
2014: 117
2015: 96
2016: 82
2017: 79
2018: 46
2019: 22
2020: 20 (first three quarters of the year)
Call me paranoid, but these numbers seem to have steadily declined over those
eight years. The higher numbers at the beginning may have been due to the
backlog of cases the OPCR inherited from the Civilian Review Authority, but the
decrease in the last few years is striking. And this was happening while the
number of complaints filed in 2018, 2019, and 2020 were in fact increasing
significantly.
It's possible that more people are filing unfounded complaints; or maybe OPCR
staff are becoming more adept at quickly identifying complaints that should be
dismissed; or it could mean that more complaints are being deemed resolvable by
having them referred to the precincts for possible coaching.
Whatever the reason, such a steady decrease in the number of complaints that
are being fully investigated needs an explanation. I have asked the OPCR for
one, but my previous experience with that agency has taught me not to hold my
breath while waiting for an answer.
Chuck Turchick
Phillips