Half of fired MN cops get their jobs back through arbitration

Good morning. Next week, Minnesota lawmakers are expected to take on the police accountability issue in the upcoming special session. Among the key topics is the fate of arbitration, which has allowed about half of fired Minnesota police officers to get their jobs back or receive lesser discipline. More on the arbitration story, after the forecast.

Storm impacts linger today. The severe weather that led to storms, tornados and hail is leaving some lingering showers and storms on its way out. Temps today will be a bit lower than yesterday’s, with highs in the upper 70s to upper 80s.

Floyd begged for air 20 times before he died; Chauvin dismissed, saying “then stop talking.” Newly released transcripts of police bodycam videos reveal more of what was said as George Floyd was put on the ground by Minneapolis police officers. “You’re going to kill me, man,” Floyd said, pleading for air. While the Black man repeatedly pleads for air, saying he can’t breathe, the officer kneeling on Floyd’s neck, Derek Chauvin, says “stop yelling. It takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk.

Ex-cop charged in Floyd’s killing asked Chauvin if Floyd should be rolled on his side. An attorney for Thomas Lane, charged in abetting and aiding murder and manslaughter, says there’s no evidence that Lane played an intentional role in aiding the commission of a crime, and that he knew Chauvin was committing a crime. The bodycam transcripts show that Lane asked twice if Floyd should be rolled on his side and Chauvin said no. Lane on Wednesday filed a motion to dismiss his charges.

Arbitration has let half of fired Minnesota police officers get back on their job. In Minnesota, public employees can appeal discipline to an independent arbitrator. Critics say arbitration makes it difficult for police departments to fire bad cops. But police unions say the system allows officers their right to due process. The fate of Minnesota’s arbitration system is set to play out at the state Capitol in the coming weeks.

Stop “COVID parties,” state health officials warn. State health leaders are warning against “COVID parties,” saying they’ve been hearing reports of Minnesotans holding or planning such gatherings as a way to become infected with the coronavirus in a convenient way, or to get the disease over with. Health officials also said they've been hearing from clinics and hospitals that they are having a harder time getting testing supplies recently as COVID-19 hot spots develop in other parts of the U.S.

Here are the latest coronavirus statistics in Minnesota

39,589 cases confirmed (463 new) via 692,970 tests

1,485 deaths (eight new)

4,272 cases requiring hospitalization

265 people remain hospitalized; 122 in intensive care

— Jiwon Choi, MPR News | @ChoiGEE1