Minneapolis Police Reform: Progress and Criticism.

The Justice Department has released an 89-page report on police abuses in Minneapolis, taking the first step toward negotiating a consent decree with the city, which would join a host of cities whose police forces are already operating under federal supervision. Critics and proponents alike acknowledge that consent decrees can be onerous, but they are almost always the government’s most potent tool for reforming law enforcement agencies. By and large, experts say, consent decrees work, at least for as long as the oversight is in effect. They have a track record of reducing officers’ use of force and the number of complaints and lawsuits against them.