Daily Digest: Officers object to body cam policy
Good morning and welcome to Tuesday. Just a reminder if you haven't done so yet: Time to start thawing the turkey. Here's the Digest.
1. Unions for Maplewood police officers have filed a lawsuit against their city's body camera policy, saying that parts of it should have been agreed to through collective bargaining instead of being imposed by city and department leaders. It could be a test case as cities around Minnesota bring the cameras on board. The Legislature approved a law last spring requiring that departments using body-worn cameras adopt written policies governing when the devices must be activated and how the footage is managed. (MPR News)
2. A former Target executive who was sometimes critical of the management of U.S. Bank Stadium has not been reappointed to the stadium board by Gov. Mark Dayton. John Griffith asked the governor for another term on the board, but Dayton said no. From this story: "Griffith said he’s disappointed about losing the post and believes it’s because he has pressed for more information about board actions and questioned the dual management roles of [Michele] Kelm-Helgen and [Ted] Mondale, both of whom have deep ties to Dayton. She makes $130,175. He makes $164,317." (Star Tribune)
3. The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development has pulled a grant contract after it was revealed it was going to the part-time employer of a state senator who pushed a bill last year that made it far more likely the group would win the grant. Sen. John Hoffman, DFL-Champlin, introduced the bill that would create grants to help people with disabilities find jobs. In the final hours of the session the proposal was narrowed so that only some organizations would be eligible for the grants, and one of them was Ally People Solutions, where Hoffman works. (MinnPost)
4. President-elect Trump hasn't held a press conference since the election. Instead he released a brief video Monday laying out what he intends to do immediately upon taking office. He said he will withdraw from negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, eliminate regulations on energy production and investigate abuses of visa programs. “Whether it’s producing steel, building cars or curing disease, I want the next generation of production and innovation to happen right here, on our great homeland: America – creating wealth and jobs for American workers,” Trump said. (USA Today)
5. Trump held an off-the-record meeting with top TV executives and anchors from some of the big networks. He reportedly started the meeting by ripping some of them, including CNN and NBC. But his campaign manager said for the most part, it was a positive meeting. “There was no need to mend fences,” Kellyanne Conway said. “It was very cordial, very genial. But it was very candid and very honest. From my own perspective, it’s great to hit the reset button.” (Politico)
6. This is disturbing. (The Atlantic)
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