Minnesota to ban cops from affiliating with white supremacist groups: report

Changes are coming to law enforcement in Minnesota after the state has been rocked by multiple scandals over alleged police misconduct.

"Minnesota's police licensing board on Thursday agreed to pursue new rules for law enforcement responses to protests and a ban on officers affiliating with white supremacist groups," the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported Thursday. "The 16-member Minnesota Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Board approved both measures by unanimous votes, amid an intense focus on the future of policing in Minnesota. They mirror proposals still pending at the state Legislature."

Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) said the reforms were necessary in a letter sent to the board on Thursday.

"Minnesota faces a moment of reckoning, where the interests and needs of many converge," Walz wrote. "The watershed events of the last year make it clear that communities of color cannot go on like this. Police officers also cannot go on like this."

The newspaper noted it will still be months before the new rules become official.