Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, approved a host of police reforms over the weekend, including the implementation of an “unarmed civilian traffic enforcement” branch following the death of Daunte Wright, who was killed after an officer mistook her gun for a Taser and shot him in mid-April.
City Council members voted 4-1 on Saturday to move forward with a “Community Safety and Violence Prevention Resolution,” which indicates that the area does “not rely solely on our armed law enforcement officers.” The provision mandates a “Community Response Department,” made up of volunteers, mental health professionals, and social workers, that will intervene in matters “where a city resident is primarily experiencing a medical, mental health, disability-related, or other behavioral” issue.
Brooklyn Center will also utilize its unarmed traffic branch to enforce nonmoving violations in a bid to reduce the number of stops conducted by its police department. The city further created a “Department of Community Safety and Violence Prevention,” which is set to oversee “all city agencies and city efforts regarding community health and public safety.”
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An additional “Community Safety and Violence Prevention Committee,” made up of people who have been arrested or detained by police, will “review and make recommendations regarding the policing response to recent protests” in the area.
“Brooklyn Center did not look to be in the national spotlight on these issues, but here we are,” Mayor Mike Elliott said in a statement. “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,” he said.
Wright died on April 11 after former Brooklyn Center officer Kim Potter mistook her gun for a Taser and shot him one time during a traffic stop. Potter has since been arrested and charged with manslaughter in connection to the incident.
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Wright’s death sparked widespread protests, riots, and looting episodes in the city that coincided with the contentious trial of Derek Chauvin, the police officer who was later found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd.
