Police Trade Association Outraged at U of M Honoring Anti-Law Enforcement Group With Award

(KNSI) — The University of Minnesota has given the group Communities United Against Police Brutality the Outstanding Community Service Award.

The U’s website says the award winners “represent the University’s highest honors for community-engaged scholarship and community service.”

In a post on its Facebook page, CUAPB says the award recognizes its history of working with “hundreds of community engaged learning students, deeply integrating them into the core work of this all volunteer organization.” The U also thanked CUAPB for “over 20 years of amazing partnership.”

The Minnesota Peace and Police Officers Association called the move “shocking and inappropriate” for the U to partner with and award CUAPB, calling it “an extremist organization that spreads misleading and harmful narratives about law enforcement. They create an atmosphere where students are led to believe all police officers are inherently racist, encouraging them to side with criminals instead of supporting law enforcement.”

The MPPOA is the largest trade association representing rank and file municipal police officers, county deputy sheriffs, and peace officers employed in Minnesota.

CUAPB describes itself as an organization that “promotes professional, accountable, constitutional policing.” The group has been involved in rules advisory committee work and crafting model policies with the Peace Officer Standards and Training Board. The POST Board establishes law enforcement licensing and training requirements. CUAPB is “currently recommending policy changes based on best practices and community expectations for the Minneapolis police department under the state consent decree.”

The University of Minnesota severed its ties with the Minneapolis Police Department in 2020 following the death of George Floyd in police custody. In turn, crime on the U’s campus spiked 45%. Less than two years later, former President Joan Gabel asked the MPD to return and help combat the rise in violence.

Representative Marion O’Neill (R, Maple Lake) took to social media Sunday morning blasting the award, adding, “As the Chair of the House Higher Ed Committee. I want to talk about this in a public hearing in committee. Be assured the Public Safety Committee Chair Rep. Paul Novotny (R, Elk River) and my committee member, has already asked in our 1st hearing, how was this allowed. It wasn’t even on the radar of their gov’t relations team. We want to talk about it. We care.”

House Democrats will not be part of that discussion as they refuse to come to the Capitol to deny Republicans a quorum due to the GOP’s temporary one seat majority.

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