Federal Probe Sparked by George Floyd Killing Finds Minneapolis Police Use Excessive Force

The Minneapolis Police routinely discriminate and use excessive force against residents, the Justice Department found in a sweeping civil-rights investigation launched after an officer’s 2020 killing of George Floyd sparked national outcry over racial injustice and policing.

Attorney General Merrick Garland and other senior Justice Department officials announced the findings on Friday, the next step in a process that will lead to a court-enforceable agreement requiring Minneapolis to make specific changes to its long-troubled police force. Garland said city officials had begun entering into a consent decree requiring them to work with the Justice Department on a series of fixes to be overseen by an independent monitor.

“Our investigation found that the systemic problems in MPD made what happened to George Floyd possible,” the department wrote in a blistering 92-page report, saying the agency also lacks the rigorous training and supervision to prevent such abuses.

Floyd’s murder in May 2020 touched off nationwide p