The Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Board "can only enforce violations by police chiefs and sheriffs, not by individual law enforcement officers" ("Board issues officer misconduct, protest response guidance," front page, July 23). Really? All public boards governing the conduct of licensed members exist to protect the public. That is their primary purpose. They set standards and, equally important, spell out optional remedies for violations. Without the power to enforce violations by individuals, the POST Board is like a toothless attack dog, all growl and no power.
I am most familiar with the State of Minnesota Board of Social Work, which has licensed me since its inception. If it operated like the POST Board, only agency directors could be sanctioned. It would make no sense; it would offer no real protection to the public. Yet, the police, the most powerful armed public servants, have no accountability to their licensing board and, therefore, to the public. Adherence to professional standards set by the state boards is the foundation of protection of the public.
Adherence, enforcement of violations, consequences ... the POST Board needs teeth and it needs them now. If we are serious about changing policing, let us get our house in order. Rules can be changed. It only requires the will to do so.
Carol Schreier, Minneapolis
•••
Law enforcement ranges from the local to the national levels. In response to the outrageous offenses of Minneapolis police officers in the murder of George Floyd, a citizen might have expected major reforms at all levels. That hasn't happened at any level. The Minnesota Legislature left its session with this weak response as elucidated on the front page of Friday's Star Tribune:
"But under its existing rules, the [POST] board can only enforce violations by police chiefs and sheriffs, not by individual law enforcement officers. ...
"The POST Board does not have the authority to mandate that law enforcement agencies adopt either of its model policies, [Mendota Heights Police Chief Kelly] McCarthy said. They instead serve as frameworks for agencies around the state to create their own sets of standards. ...
"Under the new policies passed Thursday, officers must self-report violations of the POST Board's standards of conduct. ... McCarthy on Thursday described the ongoing review as 'the infrastructure that lays the foundation to make real substantive change.'"
Neither a slap on the wrist nor a wake-up call. We have a cancer in law enforcement that must be rooted out.
Mary K. Lund, Minnetonka
NEWS COVERAGE
Who? What? How? Answers, please
As a former journalist, I know that writing the news isn't as easy as it looks. But I have recently found that Star Tribune's coverage of key issues often leaves me with more questions than answers.
For example, a July 17 article outlining Minneapolis' program sending civil response teams to mental health calls briefly references 911 operator training without expanding on what the training entails ("Civilian crisis teams set in Mpls."). I was left wondering who conducted the training, what specific criteria are used to determine whether to send a civil response team to mental health calls and how operators determine whether the subject of such a call poses a threat.
Another article regarding an explanatory note that may appear on the Minneapolis ballot used the phrase "the first time in memory" ("Mpls. ballot explainer runs into opposition," July 24). I was left wondering: whose memory? Did the reporter check records?
The Star Tribune should support reporters in answering these kinds of questions in order to allow for a more informed Minnesota.
Grace Pastoor, St. Paul
MINNEAPOLIS
What's helping, what's not
Reading the editorial about what some "activists and protesters" have labeled some community organizations that have been working to stem the violence in our communities has me angry beyond words ("Hitting the streets to prevent violence," July 21).
A Mother's Love and MAD DADS are the two mentioned in the piece. Both of these organizations have been working for years without big contracts, adequate funding or much publicity and have gained the trust of many in the community. Their choice to collaborate rather than agitate apparently makes them "sellouts" and "bootlickers" to some.
Not, I would bet, to those they have helped, empathized with, cried with and stood with through some of the worst tragedies of their lives.
Who exactly are these "activists" and "protesters"? Where have they been the last few years? What have they done to engage with those who are hurting and angry? Those who are afraid to leave their homes for fear of a stray bullet? Those who can't drive down the street because it's being used as a racetrack? What have they done to quell the violence anywhere in this city?
A Mother's Love and MAD DADS have been there and done that and have brought more positive energy and healing to the community than any of these current groups who purport to know what Minneapolis needs while bringing nothing but division and dissension.
Jeanne Torma, Minneapolis
•••
I forced myself to read the ridiculous and incoherent rantings of "City needs annual elections and a GOP" (Opinion Exchange, July 21). Minneapolis has very few Republicans because they left town decades ago. They took their philosophy, families and careers and sought some semblance of normalcy elsewhere. It is obvious from the daily news that the City of Lakes is a shell of its former self. Socialists have dominated the landscape and we see very little positive news. The police are incapable of providing public safety because of their waning numbers and a mayor and City Council who do not support them. The business community is barely hanging on. Whenever the citizens decide they have had enough, they will vote in Democrats who recognize that public safety is the No. 1 priority. Possibly prosecutors and judges will begin to do their jobs instead of greasing the "revolving door" of criminal justice.
Annual elections would add to the chaos as endless politicking would be the norm. Initiatives would have limited time to begin before another election would have to occur. Further, ranked-choice voting would take just about a year to figure out — in time for the next election.
Meanwhile, Republicans will grudgingly endure voter suppression as Minneapolis searches for reality.
Joe Polunc, Waconia
LAUGHTER
Marking the end of my silence
I just got back from a three-day silent retreat at Demontreville where I reflected on some necessary and serious stuff. On Monday morning, James Lileks helped me break my fast in his "You have the right to remain quiet" column. I am still chuckling. Thanks, James, for easing me back into the world of sound.
Gene Friesen, Maple Grove
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