Riley Moser is a digital producer who covers breaking news and feature stories for CBS Minnesota. Riley started her career at CBS Minnesota in June 2022 and earned an honorable mention for sports writing from the Iowa College Media Association the same year.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey issued an executive order on Tuesday instructing the city to fully implement all reforms outlined in a consent decree weeks after its dismissal.
On May 27, a federal judge ruled to dismiss the consent decree, which federally mandated reforms to the Minneapolis Police Department in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd.
Despite the dismissal, Frey and Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said the city planned to implement "every reform" in the decree. Frey put his words into action with Tuesday's executive order.
The directive asks the Minneapolis Attorney's Office to identify all reform items from the consent decree that are not included in or in conflict with a separate reform agreement with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights within 90 days.
Within 30 days, the attorney's office must advise on steps to enable Effective Law Enforcement for All, a nonprofit that specializes in reshaping police departments, to independently evaluate the implementation of the reforms from both the consent decree and the settlement with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights.
"We are committed to police reform, even if the Trump administration is not," Frey said. "Our residents demanded meaningful change, and we're delivering on that promise with this executive order, ensuring the work outlasts politics and any one administration."
The decree requires law enforcement to meet specific goals before federal oversight is removed, a process that often takes years and millions of dollars. Some of the reforms outlined include changes to the use of force policy, limiting military-style tactics during protests and banning handcuffing children under 14.
The Minneapolis City Council approved the consent decree on Jan. 6 and subsequently filed it in federal court. The agreement said the Minneapolis Police Department would require its officers to "promote the sanctity of human life as the highest priority in their activities," and must not allow race, gender or ethnicity to "influence any decision to use force, including the amount or type of force used."
A federal judge needed to approve that consent decree before it went it effect. However, the U.S. Department of Justice requested and was granted multiple stays of court proceedings leading up to the dismissal.
O'Hara says he believes his department will go beyond what is required of the consent decree and the settlement with the state's human rights department.
"Our continuing goal is making sure the MPD is the best police department in the country and providing the people of Minneapolis the excellent policing service they deserve," O'Hara said.