Minneapolis police trainers used racist tropes in training scenarios, a new report uncovered.- Trainers "relied on racist tropes to impersonate Black community members as part of scenario-based training," the report said.
"Observations from MPD's recent Academy training sessions in 2021 provided additional evidence of MPD's deficient training," the agency said in the report. "Some trainers relied on racist tropes to impersonate Black community members as part of scenario-based training and other trainers used racist or sexist tropes."
The report, released on Wednesday, also said that the agency's investigation found training in the MPD furthered race-based policing and encouraged rookie officers to use these practices in the field.
One example from 2020 investigated by the
Two hours later, the same pair stopped an intoxicated white man who confessed to having a knife with him. Instead of performing a search, the trainer told the trainee not to complete one because "I just didn't want you to waste your time."
Data from the report showed that 63% of all use of force incidents that MPD officers recorded were against Black individuals, though Black people make up about 19% of the Minneapolis population.
The Minnesota Department of Human Rights also found that training overall is insufficient, with one lieutenant explaining he believes the poor and inconsistent training for supervisors is the root of most problems in the department.
The Minnesota Department of Human Rights began its investigation into the police department on June 1, 2020 — a week after George Floyd was killed by former Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin on May 25, 2020.