Minneapolis voters reject plan to replace police department

Minneapolis voters on Tuesday soundly rejected a proposal to replace the Minneapolis Police Department, crushing the hopes of supporters that outrage over the killing of George Floyd would translate into one of the nation's most far reaching experiments in transforming public safety.

The final votes came at the end of a contentious election cycle that drew intense scrutiny as people across the country waited to see how far the city would go to reinvent policing, 18 months after Floyd was filmed pleading for breath under an officer's knee. Since then, a city already battered by a global pandemic was the site of the worst urban riots in three decades, a surge in violent crime and a wrenching trial that resulted in murder convictions for the officer who killed Floyd.

In the final days leading up to a historic election, voters were blanketed with messages from political committees that had millions to spend as they attempted to sway people to vote for or against a measure seeking to replace the Minneapolis Police Department with a new agency focused on alternative approaches to responding to crises.

https://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-voters-reject-plan-to-replace-police-department/600112156/