MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis city leaders met Tuesday to discuss the work they've done in the four years following the murder of George Floyd.
This comes after a report was commissioned in 2021 to inspect and examine the city's response to civil unrest that came in response to Floyd's 2020 murder.
"We're not hiding from mistakes," Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said. "In fact, we're embracing them."
That report highlighted 27 key points that needed to be addressed. They included restructuring the way the Minneapolis Police Department handles major incidents, its use of force and how officers manage large crowds.
It also includes how equipment is tracked and handled.
The Minneapolis Fire Department, Office of Emergency Management and city as a whole were also discussed with recommendations laid out in that report.
"The exercises that we have done have put us in a much better position now to respond to complex incidents. I think probably better, certainly much better, than in 2020," Minneapolis Fire Chief Bryan Tyner said. "But probably better than at any time in the department's history."
"It's so important for us in city leadership to get this right for the residents of Minneapolis for today and in the future," Minneapolis Commissioner of Community Safety Todd Barnette said. "Practice and refine our processes to maximize our preparedness."
That included a trip to Maryland for 70 city employees to train for how to handle any situation that may come up. Frey says their situation was focused on unrest.
"From my perspective, one of the most significant accomplishments from this reset has been how better prepared Minneapolis is to ensure the health and wellbeing of our of our first responders," MPD Chief Brian O'Hara said.
As a whole, all who attended Tuesday's press conference agreed on one thing: They're better prepared now than they may have ever been.
"Right now, the City of Minneapolis is more prepared for an emergency than we have ever been at any time in our history," Frey said.
Also announced – a new mobile alert system, replacing the city's current system, Swiftreach. This new app, called Smart 911, allows Minneapolis residents to receive alerts about snow emergencies, public safety incidents, special events and major infrastructure alerts.
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist: