St. Paul, MN – On Wednesday Governor Mark Dayton (DFL) issued an executive order to form the “Council on Law Enforcement and Community Relations.” The council will be 32 members strong and will include a member of Black Lives Matter.
Fox 9 News says the panel will consist of 15 voting members and 17 ex-officio members. Voting members include a representative from Black Lives Matter, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the faith-based group ISAIAH, and the Minnesota Tribal Nations. A representative from Minnesota County Attorneys Association and one from the National Black, Latino, Asian, and Somali Peace Officers Associations will also have a seat at the table.
Among the non-voting members will be a representative from Philando Castile’s family and Jamar Clark’s family.
According to the order, one of the six listed duties of the council is to, “Focus on law enforcement- community relations through a lens of procedural and social justice that may impact areas, including, but not limited to: sentencing reform; prosecutorial discretion; law enforcement workforce; law enforcement recruiting and retention; law enforcement training; and community health and wellness.”
Fox 9 News states the Council has until February 15, 2017 to come up with preliminary recommendations to the governor and the legislature. A final report is due by June 30, 2017
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