ST. PAUL 鈥� Seven new members have been appointed by Gov. Tim Walz to a state board which oversees training and standards for law enforcement across Minnesota.
The Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) Board has been a hot topic for lawmakers and activists since this summer following the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody in May 2020. Those pushing for systemic reforms to policing often cite the POST Board as a means to that end.
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In a Thursday, Feb. 11, news release, Walz announced the appointment of seven new members to the board, who he said 鈥渨ill bring extensive experience and diverse voices that will help ensure the POST Board is responsive to the needs of our communities.鈥�
Of the seven new appointees, six are from the seven-county metro, and one 鈥� Grand Marais Mayor Jay Arrowsmith DeCoux 鈥� is from Greater Minnesota:
- Justin Terrell, Executive Director of the Minnesota Justice Research Center, of Richfield
- Liz Richards, Executive Director of Violence Free Minnesota, of St. Paul
- Justin Page, Attorney with Mid-Minnesota legal Aid and Minnesota Disability Law Center, of Minneapolis
- Nigel Perrote, National and State Programs Director for the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault, of Minneapolis
- Shelly Schaefer, Professor and Administrator at Hamline University, of Apple Valley
- Jay Arrowsmith DeCoux, Mayor, of Grand Marais
- Jennifer Foster Albright, Brooklyn Park Police officer, of Brooklyn Park
鈥淚鈥檓 proud of their commitment to reforming policing in a way that brings greater accountability and makes all Minnesotans feel safe,鈥� Walz continued. 鈥淎fter the death of George Floyd, we engaged Minnesotans across the state in conversations around criminal justice reform. We鈥檝e heard an overwhelming desire for greater transparency and accountability. This is one important step toward those goals.鈥�
The new appointments are part of . State legislators passed the Minnesota Police Accountability Act this summer, part of which included language to expand the board鈥檚 membership, add a community relations council to the board鈥檚 work, require use-of-force data collection and analysis by the board and more. The board has also recently undergone an audit, per Thursday's release.
Contact Sarah Mearhoff at smearhoff@forumcomm.com or 610-790-4992.
