HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH Shielded from Justice: Police Brutality and Accountability in the United States
Minneapolis:

Police Administration/
Internal Affairs Division

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The Internal Affairs Division investigates possibly criminal misconduct or internally generated complaints, and monitors any case when a civil lawsuit is filed against the police.53 It does not work with the CRA.54 For the past two years, the city attorney's office has notified IAD when an excessive force or misconduct lawsuit is filed against the police. According to a representative of the police department's legal advisor's office, the department is proactive on these cases; it will open an investigation even if that means acknowledging the facts of the lawsuit.55 The department claims that it wants to get rid of the "bad" officers so that they will only have to pay damages involving them once, avoiding future claims alleging willful or deliberate indifference to abuse complaints, as in the Sauro case. (See above.) As an example of this proactive stance, the legal advisor's office described a recent case in which, she said, the chief fired an officer absent any complaint or lawsuit, on the basis of a videotape showing the officer kicking a rape suspect whowas in handcuffs.56 The department does not utilize an "early warning system" to identify officers who are the subject of repeated complaints, but does compile a "top ten" list of officers who are the subject of the most complaints.57

The chief's office acknowledged a flaw with tracking officers because "use of force reports," which must be filed anytime an officer uses more than a "come-along" touch, are so vague that they are rendered useless.58 The reports name all of the officers on the scene, regardless of whether they used force, so pinpointing a particular officer with repeated "use of force" reports is made nearly impossible; clearly, this flawed system needs to be corrected.

IAD does not publish public reports regarding its activities relating to possibly criminal, internally generated, or civil lawsuits alleging police misconduct.59

In March 1995, Chief Olson developed a clear disciplinary matrix - a necessary tool in holding officers accountable. He also made statements emphasizing respect for human rights. Still, some observers contend that there is a small percentage of officers who should have been dismissed long ago and who serve as "role models" to some newer recruits.



53 In its fiscal year 1997 budget, the IAD had a total of seven staff members, five of whom were investigators. According to Chief Olson, the practice of initiating preliminary investigations following the filing of civil lawsuits against police officers began in March 1995 and was directly related to the "deliberate indifference" finding in the Sauro case. Telephone interview, January 23, 1998.

54 Telephone interview with Alison Baskfield, Legal Advisor's Office, Office of the Police Chief, January 27, 1997.

55 Ibid.

56 Ibid.

57 Telephone interview, Chief Olson, January 23, 1998.

58 Telephone interview with Alison Baskfield, Legal Advisor's Office, Office of the Police Chief, January 27, 1997, and telephone interview with Chief Olson, January 23, 1998.

59 In October 1997, Human Rights Watch submitted questions to the IAD about its activities, but as of this writing there has been no response.

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© June 1998
Human Rights Watch