June 24, 2006 - Members of the Police Community Relations Council in Minneapolis say there's been progress in talks between the council and the police department after a meeting yesterday. Members of the panel had threatened to quit because they say tensions between police and residents of color have risen since the departure of former Minneapolis Police Chief William McManus earlier this year. The council's co-chairman, Clyde Bellecourt, says he's seeking clarification from the US Justice Department on whether the panel is federally-mandated.
June 24, 2006 - Members of the Police Community Relations Council in Minneapolis say they've gotten assurances from interim police chief Tim Dolan that he's willing to try to work out problems between the council and the police department. The two sides met yesterday after some council members threatened to quit. The council was established in 2003 to help ease racial tension between city residents and the police department. The council's co-chairman, Clyde Bellecourt, says it's important to make the council work in light of the drastic jump in violent crime in Minneapolis , especially while the city searches for a new chief of police.
June 28, 2006 - Racial disparities in Minnesota's criminal justice system are still prevalent, say researchers from the Council on Crime and Justice. On Wednesday, the council released a summary of the research it has compiled on the subject. Council officials say African Americans are 15 times more likely than whites to be arrested for low-level offenses. Assistant Minneapolis police chief Sharon Lubinski says the department has been working on measures to reduce incidents and perceptions of biased policing. Some of those policies began after the department collected racial traffic stop data a few years ago.
June 29, 2006 - Racial disparities in Minnesota's criminal justice system are still prevalent, say researchers from the Council on Crime and Justice. On Wednesday, the council released a summary of the research it has compiled on the subject. Council officials say African Americans are 15 times more likely than whites to be arrested for low-level offenses. Assistant Minneapolis police chief Sharon Lubinski says the department has been working on measures to reduce incidents and perceptions of biased policing. Some of those policies began after the department collected racial traffic stop data a few years ago.
July 24, 2006 - Minneapolis police officials say they believe a 19-year-old man who was killed by an officer this weekend was in possession of a handgun when he was shot. Police say part of the incident was caught on tape from security cameras located on a school near the scene. They say the photos show the suspect, Fong Lee, with an object in his hand. Police officials say there was a confrontation between officer Jason Andersen and the suspect. Andersen fired his gun and killed Lee. There is no photograph of the actual shooting. Interim Police Chief Tim Dolan says Andersen will not remain on administrative leave during the rest of the internal investigation.
July 24, 2006 - A Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed a suspect in north Minneapolis this weekend may be back to work as soon as tomorrow. Police officer Jason Andersen is on administrative leave as the department investigates the incident. Police say last Saturday evening Andersen chased and then confronted a 19-year-old man with a gun before shooting him near a school building. On Monday police displayed a loaded handgun which they recovered from the suspect at the scene. They say the gun was not fired. Interim police chief Tim Dolan says part of the incident was caught on videotape by a school security camera.
July 25, 2006 - Minneapolis police officials say they believe a 19-year-old man who was killed by an officer this weekend was in possession of a handgun when he was shot. Police say part of the incident was caught on tape from security cameras located on a school near the scene. They say the photos show the suspect, Fong Lee, with an object in his hand. Police officials say there was a confrontation between officer Jason Andersen and the suspect. Andersen fired his gun and killed Lee. There is no photograph of the actual shooting. Interim Police Chief Tim Dolan says Andersen will not remain on administrative leave during the rest of the internal investigation.
July 25, 2006 - A Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed a suspect in north Minneapolis this weekend may be back to work as soon as tomorrow. Police officer Jason Andersen is on administrative leave as the department investigates the incident. Police say last Saturday evening Andersen chased and then confronted a 19-year-old man with a gun before shooting him near a school building. On Monday police displayed a loaded handgun which they recovered from the suspect at the scene. They say the gun was not fired. Interim police chief Tim Dolan says part of the incident was caught on videotape by a school security camera.
July 27, 2006 - Interim Minneapolis police chief Tim Dolan has met with the family of Fong Lee, who was killed by a Minneapolis police officer last weekend. The meeting Wednesday came after the family filed a civil rights complaint with the city and appeared at a press conference called by the Hmong Advocacy Coalition. The group raised concerns about racial profiling, and complained that Lee's family wasn't notified of the shooting until 12 hours later. The family has asked attorney Richard Hechter to conduct an independent investigation. Hechter says the Lees are devastated by the shooting and want answers they say they aren't getting right now.
July 27, 2006 - The family of a man shot and killed by a Minneapolis police officer last weekend has filed a complaint with the Minneapolis Civil Rights department. Police officials say 19-year-old Fong Lee was carrying a loaded handgun when he became involved in a confrontation with officer Jason Andersen. Andersen then fired and killed Lee. Police say the gun Lee was carrying was not fired. Lee Pao Xiong directs the Center for Hmong Studies at Concordia University in St. Paul. He is also a member of the Hmong Advocacy Coalition. Xiong says Lee's parents still have several questions about what happened the night of the shooting.