Rachel Moran, a professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, spoke with MPR News about concerns regarding Minneapolis police collaborating with a regional Homeland Security Task Force. Moran explained while such partnerships are common, they can reduce accountability to local communities, especially amid ongoing tensions over federal enforcement actions.
From the article:
Months before several thousand federal agents would descend on Minneapolis, dozens of city police officers worked with the regional Homeland Security Task Force. City officials didn’t disclose details of the ongoing investigations the officers have been assigned to, but they said it’s not related to civil immigration enforcement. ...
But in Minneapolis, a city where federal agents shot three residents and routinely released false or misleading information about their activities over the winter, there’s deep suspicion of the local police department’s relationship with the federal agencies.
University of St. Thomas School of Law Professor Rachel Moran said she understands that it’s not unusual for the city to collaborate with the federal government, but that sometimes “officers are less accountable to the residents of the community they're supposed to be serving when they are working at the behest of the federal government.”
“The FBI is one of the agencies that has been obstructing local officials’ access to evidence of potential crimes committed by ICE agents, so it seems like a pretty bad time to be cooperating with them,” Moran said.
Minneapolis police are still under a state consent decree that was instituted after George Floyd’s killing by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020. Department leaders in the intervening years have regularly highlighted their efforts to rebuild trust with city residents.
“I just don’t think it’s wise for the police in Minneapolis, given their public position that they are working hard to earn back the trust of Minneapolis residents, to be involved in a partnership that has actively contributed to harming the city,” Moran said.
