Minnesota is poised to give school resource officers clearer authority to use force

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota lawmakers are on the verge of a compromise that will give police officers who work in schools clearer authority to use force.

Minnesota reacted to the 2020 murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis officer with a series of police accountability measures that included restrictions on the use of force, such as ban on chokeholds. But a section of a broad education law enacted last year led around 40 police departments across the state to pull their officers from schools. They said new restrictions on the use of face-down prone restraints, which can impair breathing, made it impossible to do their jobs.

The Minnesota House voted 124-8 Monday to pass a change backed by law enforcement that’s meant to ensure that school resource officers can use prone restraints on students, although school staff would remain banned from doing so. It would also require better training and creation of a model policy on the duties of police who work in schools. It also would expressly prohibit officers from being used to impose discipline for violations of school policies.

“I’m hoping that we can get them all back into school with this stuff fixed today,” said Republican Rep. Jeff Witte, of Lakeville, a retired Burnsville police officer who was a school resource officer for four of them. “And I think this will obviously keep our schools, our students and our teachers safe, but also give our parents some peace of mind.”

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