WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) issued the following statement on the Department of Justice’s announcement that it will investigate the patterns and practices of racially discriminatory policing in Minneapolis, which the Senators called for in May, 2020:

“George Floyd should be alive today. Nothing will bring him back to us, but the verdict is a first step towards accountability. We know that law enforcement officers work within a bigger system, which is why we called for the Department of Justice to conduct an investigation into the patterns and practices of racially discriminatory policing in Minneapolis. We commend the Department of Justice’s decision to open this investigation, and we encourage them to coordinate with the ongoing investigation by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights. Through both of these efforts, we are hopeful to make meaningful progress. These investigations alone will not solve systemic issues, which is why we won’t stop fighting to pass police reform legislation to hold officers accountable for misconduct, increase transparency in policing practices, and ban dangerous police practices like chokeholds and no-knock warrants.”

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