Star Tribune
Apple Valley police relax strict vehicle pursuit policy
Apple Valley police officers can now chase cars connected to suspects of many felonies, ranging from burglary to sexual assault, after loosening what was one of the most restrictive vehicle-pursuit policies in the metro area.
The south metro department made the shift after seeing a “sharp increase” in the number of vehicles fleeing from officers, a March 14 city memo said.
“In 2020, we had placed some very restrictive guidelines in our pursuit policy for a variety of reasons,” Apple Valley Police Chief Nick Francis said. “Essentially, if it was a deadly force incident or someone needed to be captured immediately … that was the only authorization our department had for engaging in a pursuit.”
That policy, written after George Floyd’s murder, was adopted at a time when the department saw an increase in people fleeing police. The department wanted to reconsider pursuits, which were seen as risky or dangerous to public safety, Francis said.
But several years later, those restrictions reduced the liability of pursuits but “did not appear to be positively impacting overall public safety,” he said, citing increased numbers of car thefts in particular.
According to Apple Valley police, the number of cases where a driver fled officers in the suburb has more than doubled since 2019, and reached a high of 37 in 2021.
The newly revised policy was also influenced by a couple incidents where a suspect fled and later committed a violent crime, he said. In one instance, Francis said, a vehicle stolen in Apple Valley that fled police was connected to a shooting in Minneapolis later that night.
Francis said under the 2020 policy, residents sometimes called police for help only to have officers watch a suspect drive away.
“The public is saying, ‘Hey, what gives? We’re calling you for help as the victim of a crime. We’re expecting that the police are going to help us,'” he said.
Rules still apply to pursuits
Francis said that the new policy still includes rules officers must follow. For instance, police couldn’t chase a vehicle in a school zone or into oncoming traffic, he said.
Pursuing suspects of certain crimes, like a theft or felony forgery, requires a supervisor’s permission. And officers must consider where the pursuit may lead, given that the city has one of the busiest intersections in the state at County Road 42 and Cedar Avenue — which increases the potential for dangerous crashes.
But officers can initiate a pursuit on their own when the vehicle fleeing is tied to certain crimes, including homicide, aggravated assault, sexual assault, and aggravated robbery.
Apple Valley’s policy is still more restrictive than one approved in January by the Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) Board, which sets more than a dozen model policies on topics ranging from drone use to racial profiling.
Mike Monsrud, assistant executive director of the POST Board, said the revised policy offers more details about officers’ responsibilities in a pursuit, with many reminders to balance risks with the seriousness of the alleged offense and need for immediate apprehension.
The new policy’s approach was influenced by a couple high-profile police pursuits several years ago that ended in deadly crashes, Monsrud said.
Minnesota law enforcement agencies must adopt a policy that’s identical or “substantially similar” to the POST policy, though the POST policy doesn’t restrict departments’ ability to pursue vehicles — those are agency-level decisions, Monsrud said.
“Some agencies have no restrictions and their officers can engage in a pursuit of any vehicle that flees from them,” Monsrud said. “[Others] are very restrictive on when they allow the officers to engage in a pursuit.”
What do other cities do?
Minneapolis police crafted a new policy last year, allowing officers to chase fleeing suspects involved in certain firearm-related offenses, including pointing or discharging a weapon at someone. The revision was a response to increased gun violence.
Francis described Apple Valley’s new policy as similar to one in Lakeville.
Lakeville Police Chief Brad Paulson said the city’s policy was written in early 2021, adding that the previous version made pursuits “totally discretionary by the officer.”
“We have gone to a probably middle-of-the-road approach,” Paulson said, adding that it relies on common sense and checks and balances.
Lakeville’s policy allows for chases if a violent crime is involved or if the pursuit is authorized by a watch commander. Once a pursuit ensues, an officer can end it at any time, he said.
Officers “definitely see more cars take off than we pursue,” he said.
“We always have to weigh the public risk factor and we certainly don’t want anybody to get hurt in these things,” he said.
About 50 Ukrainian refugees have signed up to donate blood on Saturday in Minneapolis as a way to give thanks to Americans for welcoming them to this country and for support in the face of Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine.
The donated blood will then be given to the Children’s Hospital of Minnesota.
The Ukrainian American Community Center, located at 301 NE Main St. in Minneapolis, has organized the event. The blood drive will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, said Iryna Petrus, community outreach manager at the center.
“It’s a sign of gratitude to Americans for supporting Ukraine and saving children’s lives in Ukraine,” said Yosyf Sabir, speaking on behalf of the blood drive.
It’s also a way to say “thank you to the United States for welcoming us so warmly,” said Petrus. She said there will be a program at 10 a.m. Saturday when several leaders of the Ukrainian American Community Center will speak. She said the center is hopeful that Ukrainian groups in other parts of North America will do similar blood drives.
Those who are unable to give blood have been asked to donate cash, which will be used to purchase tourniquets that will sent to Ukraine to be used by persons who have been injured in the war. Every $50 raised will purchase one hemostatic tourniquet, the Ukrainian Center said in a news release.
If approved, that approach would drop the district’s fund balance to 6% of general fund expenditures. The current board policy is to maintain a fund balance of at least 10% of general fund expenditures.
Anoka-Hennepin’s current operating referendum brings in about $1,154 per student, but the state-allowed cap is about $2,200 per student. If increased to the cap amount, a referendum would bring in another $40 million, McIntyre said.
According to community feedback collected through surveys and community meetings over the last month, nearly 90% of respondents said they supported a referendum. Parents and families also expressed concern about growing class sizes as a result of cuts.
The two options have already been revised based on board members’ requests to reduce cuts that would mean fewer teachers at schools, McIntyre said.
At one point in the discussion, the district floated changes to middle and high school class schedules to save money, but that was removed after board member feedback. At the board’s meeting last month, several board members thanked district staff for transparency about potential cuts and responsiveness to board and community feedback.
“I would encourage people to keep asking questions,” Board Member Michelle Langenfeld said at the September board meeting, “because as we unfold more information, the opportunity becomes greater for us to make the most informed decision under these very, very difficult circumstances.”
On Monday morning, contract workers began snipping razor wire and removing it from fencing that was propped atop concrete barriers along the perimeter of the former Third Precinct police station, which was set ablaze during the uprising over George Floyd’s police killing.
Finally, the concrete barricades will come down, after 4.5 years. As private security guards looked on, contractors began removing the security measures put in place to secure the building at 3000 Minnehaha Av. after it became a focal point of protests.
For the past three years, Third Precinct police officers have been based out of a city building in downtown Minneapolis, with plans to eventually bring them back to a south Minneapolis Community Safety Center just down the street at 2633 Minnehaha Av.
What to do with the former police station – home to what has been called a “playground” for renegade cops – has been the subject of heated debate, with the Minneapolis City Council and Mayor Jacob Frey at odds.
While the city debated its future, some conservatives jumped at the chance to use the charred building as a backdrop to hold press conferences and news reports in which they blasted the city and its leaders. Most recently, vice presidential nominee JD Vance made a campaign stop in front of the building earlier this month to blast his opponent, Gov. Tim Walz, for his handling of the 2020 riots and portray Minneapolis as a city overrun with crime.
GOP vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance speaks outside the former Minneapolis Police 3rd Precinct building in Minneapolis on Oct. 14. (Leila Navidi)
After that, several council members expressed frustration at the city’s failure to clean up the site. Despite signs saying “cleanup efforts are underway,” concrete barriers, fencing and razor wire remained all summer.
Council Member Aurin Chowdhury said earlier this month that the blight makes people feel uncared for and gives opportunists a backdrop to manipulate the scene for political gain.
Council Member Linea Palmisano blamed some of her council colleagues for the delays, accusing some members of being “desperate for any objection” to Frey’s proposal. The council passed a resolution saying that the building should not be used for any law enforcement functions again. Palmisano called it disgraceful that the building remains, scarred and secured, over four years later.
