Minneapolis police coaching is common response to misconduct allegations, report shows

The most common outcome for handling misconduct allegations in the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) was coaching, according to analysis of police chief decisions. This comes after other recent oversight reports have brought reform efforts back into the spotlight. Coaching most common outcome The Office of Police Conduct Review (OPCR) presented its report Monday that was requested by the Community Commission on Police Oversight (CCPO). The analysis reviewed police chief disciplinary decisions on misconduct allegations against Minneapolis police officers. OPCR looked at chief decisions from January 2024 to May 2026 including allegations investigated by OPCR and Internal Affairs (IA). According to the city’s human resources guide, coaching is described as a performance management tool, including one-on-one training. According to OPCR’s report, there were 204 allegations resolved by chief decision during the time period reviewed. The chief decided roughly half of the allegations were not supported by evidence. OPCR found 84 allegations where misconduct was found to have occurred. The chief’s most common decision to remedy was by coaching, which accounted for roughly 45% of outcomes. Some residents raised concerns about this method lacking transparency. "Non-disciplinary corrections are not public information, so we cannot rely on data access to make sure only proper items are being coached," said Andrew, a community member. OPCR also responded to several questions from commission members about what factors determine whether misconduct is eligible to be routed for coaching, and if those guidelines were sufficient. "It has a minimal impact on MPD operations and image. It is a low-level violation and there is no history of that violation," said Russell Fujisawa, Associate Director of OPCR. OPCR also explained coaching is not discipline, so the police chief’s disciplinary decisions sent to coaching are not made public. OPCR is described as a neutral agency and is a division of the Minneapolis Civil Rights Department. The CCPO says it will explore making recommendations to improve accountability and transparency in how misconduct investigations are handled and resolved.