Wear the Badge Podcast

Episode 1 - All about law enforcement

MCPA's 2024 Legislative Agenda

The Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association (MCPA) 2024 Legislative Agenda was developed over a period of several months with input from the state’s police chiefs, law enforcement leaders and stakeholder groups.  Members of the organization’s Legislative Committee, which is made up of public safety professionals from agencies large and small, urban and rural, discussed, vetted and prioritized the agenda. The MCPA Board of Directors approved the 2024 Legislative Agenda on November 16, 2023.

MODIFICATIONS TO LAW RELATED TO SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS
The MCPA supports legislation to address the issues that have led to Departments who have removed SRO's. The MCPA supports amending 121A.58 and 121A.582 as follows: 

Minnesota Statute 121A.582, Subd. 1 (b):
Subd. 1 (b) expand the definition of when “reasonable force” may be used by amending the language as follows: “to restrain a student and or prevent bodily harm or death to the student or another.”

Subd. 1 (b) clarify that use of reasonable force by a school resource officer or police officer contracted with a district is regulated by Minnesota Statute 609.06.

Minnesota Statute 121A.58:
Subd. 2 (a) AND Subd. 2 (b): Remove “school resource officer” and “police officer contracted with the district” from roles covered by this subdivision.  Add a section that makes the exclusion of “school resource officers” and “police officers contracted with a district” from the definition of “agents” or “employees” of a school district explicit.

DEFERRED RETIREMENT OPTION PLAN (DROP)
The MCPA supports legislation to create The Deferred Retirement Option Plan (DROP) is an enhancement to the Fire and Police Pension Plan that can provide members with another way to save for their retirement years. It is an optional, voluntary program that allows members to work and receive pay and benefits as an active employee while accumulating service pension payments in a DROP account. Members are considered “retired” for purposes of pension calculations only. For all other purposes, you are considered an active member of your respective department.

INCREASED PENALTIES FOR FLEEING IN A MOTOR VEHICLE AND MODIFICATION OF TRACKING DEVICES USED ON FLEEING VEHCILES
The MCPA supports legislation to stiffen penalties for fleeing in a motor vehicle and modify the law governing the use of tracking devices on fleeing vehicles.  Fleeing is becoming a significant concern in law enforcement.  The number of offenders that now flee has gone up exponentially. Offenders understand that the majority of the time police officers won’t chase them because the risk is not worth it. They also know that if officers do chase them and they are caught the consequences are non-existent compared to the risk they have exposed to our community and law enforcement officers too. Officers and organizations continue to battle the decision to pursue fleeing vehicles.  Additionally, a law was passed in 2022 allowing tracking devices to be used on stolen vehicles however the law requires owner consent or a search warrant. This proposal would modify this statute to allow the use of mobile tracking devices (i.e. Star Chaser) to be used on fleeing vehicles when an officer has reason to believe a vehicle is stolen or the driver has committed a crime.

OFFICER WELLNESS
The MCPA supports legislation to provide a permanent funding source for the law that passed in 2023 which came from a stakeholder group created by the League of Minnesota Cities (LMC). It is critical to find a way to fund the treatment for mental health injuries as well as continuing to expand the network of providers who are training to do this vitally important work.

RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION NEEDS
Agencies across our state are having extreme difficulty recruiting and retaining officers for a variety of reasons. The MCPA supports a multi-faceted approach to helping agencies of all sizes recruit and retain officers. This should include, but is not limited to, a grant program for bonuses, bringing back part-time officer licensure for small agencies, and scholarship programs with our higher education partners. Any funding for this use should reflect different needs for small, medium, and large agencies alike.

PAID HEALTH INSURANCE FOR L.E. RETIREES
Seek a legislative appropriation that would provide paid health care for licensed police officers who retire at 55 years old and have 10 years of consecutive service with a Minnesota City, County or Tribal government. To help in addressing the recruitment and retention challenges, at age 55 or any time thereafter, each month the Employer shall pay the full Employer contribution toward health and dental insurance coverage for employees who have 10 years of service or more. It shall also cover the employee’s dependents until the employee reaches age 65. The employer shall be reimbursed from the State of Minnesota for these costs.

PERMIT TO PURCHASE FEES AND ADDITIONAL APPLICANT DATA COLLECTION
The MCPA supports allowing local municipal police departments to charge a reasonable fee for processing permit to purchase applications and seeks to require Minnesota Permit to Purchase and Permit to Carry application forms include a requirement for the applicant’s race, ethnicity, and social security number. These additional identifying factors are beneficial in confirming the applicant’s identity, especially when there are possible matches with out-of-state criminal history records. Additionally, the legislation should include a requirement for the applicant to submit a copy of their valid Driver License or Minnesota State ID card. The applicants address on this ID and all documents in the permit application process should reflect/match their actual address, city, and zip code of residence.

AUTO THEFT AND VIOLENT CRIME INVESTIGATION FUNDING
With the growing number of auto thefts and an staggering increase in the number of violent crimes committed in possession of a stolen vehicle the legislature should provide clear direction to funding that was added to the BCA annual budget to create and staff a multijurisdictional group of peace officers who will focus on auth theft investigations and prevention.

STIFFER PENALTIES FOR VIOLENT CRIME COMMITTED WITH A FIREARM
The MCPA supports legislation that would amend state statute to increase penalties for violent felons in possession of firearms and for straw purchases and illegal sales of firearms from licensed gun dealers. This legislation includes mandatory minimum sentences for such violent crimes.

BODY WORN CAMERA REDACTION
The MCPA supports changing current law to allow for greater discretion by the CLEO or her designee to release data without redaction in instances where any member of the public may record the same footage with their own device. Current law allows for CLEO’s to release data to dispel rumors or other information, but we cannot do so without complying with redaction. This will allow the public more transparency, especially in certain high-profile cases.

PROSECUTER ACCOUNTABILTY FOR CHARGING VIOLENT CRIMES
The MCPA supports legislation to hold County Attorney’s accountable for ensuring appropriate charging decisions are made on felony level offenses. This is in response to massive violent crime increases at the hands of serious offenders who should have been in jail but were able to commit additional crimes against the public. 

USE OF FORCE TRAINING FOR LEGISLATORS
MCPA supports legislation and funding that would enable the MCPA or other Law enforcement organizations the ability to offer training for legislators of the appropriate use of force. The scenario-based training would help legislators better understand the situations officers find themselves daily. 

ARBITRATION REVISION ACT
The MCPA supports creating a more objective arbitration process by having the Office of Administrative Hearings handle all police officer termination grievances.

OFFICER INTEGRITY ACT 
The MCPA supports legislation allowing for a Minnesota Licensed Peace Officer to be terminated from public employment without opportunity to challenge the remedy of termination should the basis for termination be willful or intentional dishonesty, deception, or similar unethical or illegal conduct that is deemed sufficient to imperil their credibility in court testimony. The MCPA does not support limiting an officer’s due process right to arbitration.

LAW ENFORCEMENT TRAINING FUNDING
The MCPA supports continuing the POST Board training reimbursement allocation to local agencies, which began in 2018, into perpetuity. The Peace Officer Training Fund is for mandated training in the areas of recognizing and valuing diversity and cultural differences, conflict management and mediation, crisis intervention and mental Illness crises.

K12 GIS MAPPING OF ALL PUBLIC SCHOOLS
The MCPA supports legislation and funding that requires school districts to create GIS maps of all public schools in the State. This legislation would provide the necessary tactical planning and building design information enabling allow Police Departments to properly prepare for situations that threaten the life and safety of students and staff inside schools.

MENTAL HEALTH RESPONSE ACT
The MCPA supports legislation to fund multi-jurisdictional co-responder
programs and make changes to current policy and practices to better share information amongst first responders, medical professionals and human services representatives. The goal is to improve the response to -and outcomes of - mental health calls for service.

ALLOWING CLEOS ACCESS TO THE NATIONAL CRIMINAL HISTORY DATABASE
The MCPA supports giving chief law enforcement officers the ability to utilize the resources of the National Criminal History database to conduct background investigations for certain business licenses and certain employment background investigations.