City Council members in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota approved several police reforms, including implementing an "unarmed civilian traffic enforcement" branch after the death of Daunte Wright, who was killed by law enforcement after an officer mistook her gun for a Taser and shot him last month.
The "Community Safety and Violence Prevention Resolution" was approved with a vote of 4-1 last weekend, which expressed that the city does not "rely solely on our armed law enforcement officers."
The resolution will require a "Community Response Department," which will feature volunteers, mental health professionals and social workers, who will be responsible for incidents where a person is "primarily experiencing a medical, mental health, disability-related, or other behavioral" issue.
The city also made a "Department of Community Safety and Violence Prevention," which is expected to run "all city agencies and city efforts regarding community health and public safety."
A "Community Safety and Violence Prevention Committee" composed of people who have been arrested or detained by police, will be created as well. This committee will "review and make recommendations regarding the policing response to recent protests."
Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott said in a statement:
Brooklyn Center did not look to be in the national spotlight on these issues, but here we are. And given the tragic incidents that occurred here, including those taking the lives of Daunte Wright and Kobe Dimock-Heisler, we must respond with a commitment to do better, and today’s vote is part of that response. Brooklyn Center’s response to the rise in civic activity since the death of Daunte Wright has included efforts to involve de-escalation expertise, enhance communication to City residents about listening sessions and services available to meet the needs of residents impacted by demonstrations and disruptions in City operations.
Wright died during a traffic stop on April 11 when former Brooklyn Center officer Kim Potter pulled her gun and shot him, thinking it was a Taser. Potter was arrested and charged with manslaughter in connection to the killing.
Wright's death resulted in protests and riots in the city not far from where former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was on trial, later being found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd.
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