In 2020, amidst the “Black Lives Matter (BLM)” protest, the US Attorney General found that the Minneapolis Police Department has a history of using excessive force, especially toward Black and Native American communities, along with the mishandling of people with mental health issues. This statement came after the tragic death of George Floyd due to the use of excessive force by the MPD officer.
Recently, the MPD and the U.S. Department of Justice reached a consent decree for implementing police reforms. The stated aim of the consent decree is to “stop excessive force, and racial bias.” It’s a legal agreement that requires the police department to implement reforms. An independent monitor is also appointed to monitor the progress of the implementation of the reforms and whether the information is being shared accurately with the public.
How Big is the Problem of Police Brutality and Racial Bias in the US?
Police Brutality and racial profiling are still a prominent issue even after 5 years of George Floyd’s death which led to massive BLM and ‘Defund the Police’ protests. Mapping Police Violence recorded that police killed at least 1,260 people in 2024, a number higher than that of 2023. When we compare it to other rich countries, Canada ranks second with a rate of 9.8 per 10 million civilian deaths by the police annually, the number is 8.5 for Australia and 0.5 for England. In the US, the rate is 33.8! It is more than the next ten countries combined in the list.
Another peculiar thing about police brutality in the US is that 2 in 3 killings had nothing to do with a violent crime. Most of them happened during traffic stops and mental health checks, and where no crime was alleged. Surprisingly, for 33% of the cases, there was no danger to the life of the officer and the victims were just trying to flee from the scene.
According to police violence data from 2017 to 2022, there were more than 1 million cases of police violence including 8400 police shootings, with most of the victims being black Americans. Black people and Native-American people are 3 times more likely to be killed by police. For example, in 2024, black people made up 28% of those killed by police, even though they account for just 13% of the U.S. population.
The worst part, in the last decade, in 98.2% of cases of police killings, not a single police officer was charged with a crime. Can the Consent Decree make police more accountable while also reducing police violence and racial bias?
Can Consent Decree Change the American Police System for the Better?
The answer is not very simple. The New Orleans Police Department was praised by a Federal judge for greater transparency and a significant reduction in the use of serious force. The judge credited the consent decree as one of the leading factors.
However, on the other hand, the elected representatives from Albuquerque in New Mexico expressed concern over a lack of progress and the heavy cost associated with the consent decree. Albuquerque representative Yvette Herrell noted that the city has spent nearly $25 million while witnessing a record number of homicides in 2021.
A Washington Post study noted that despite federal oversight, real change is hard to come with some police departments seeing an increased use of force against civilians. Moreover, consent decrees have a serious problem of lack of transparency and proper community involvement, which not only reduces their efficiency but also makes meaningful change harder.
While consent decrees have seen some success, their effectiveness often hits a wall due to entrenched toxic police culture and an ‘At War’ mindset of police departments. Critics suggest that real change might only come from reducing our dependence on police forces and the prison system altogether.
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