St. Paul council delays vote on police force review tied to ICE operation

📌 Key Facts

• The St. Paul City Council has called for an investigation into officers’ use of force during the Nov. 25 ICE operation/raid on Rose Avenue; this was the council’s first formal action tied to the incident and members had planned investigations at a Dec. 3 meeting but did not vote then and postponed action.
• On Dec. 10 the council announced it will ask the Minnesota POST Board to conduct a “thorough investigation” of officers’ use of force, shifting the review to a state-level inquiry.
• The proposed scope of review includes an audit of public costs tied to SPPD’s actions, a review of compliance with the city’s separation ordinance, and an examination of the use of pepper balls, less‑lethal munitions and chemical irritants during the operation/protest.
• Community groups and leaders — at a Dec. 8 press conference and in a separate community report — concluded SPPD’s actions likely violated department policy, alleging pepper‑spraying of nonviolent protesters, deployment of chemical munitions to create a fog, and firing pepper balls and rubber bullets through the smoke; they are calling for formal investigation, discipline and greater transparency including release of video.
• Independent journalist accounts say three journalists were attacked by SPPD officers during the incident, and community members described the police response as humiliating and traumatizing.
• Mayor Melvin Carter has said body‑camera footage from the incident will be released; advocates say they are still awaiting that footage.
• As context, after a separate June federal operation on Lake Street in Minneapolis, the Minneapolis City Auditor found MPD did not violate its separation ordinance while assisting with crowd control — a prior audit often cited in comparisons of city responses.

📰 Sources (7)