Jul 31, 2008 2:34 pm US/Central
Statement From Mayor Rybak On SWAT Team Award
(WCCO)
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"The easy decision would have been to retreat under covering fire. The team did not take the easy way out," said Minneapolis Police Chief Tim Dolan.
CBS
The following statement was sent by Mayor R.T. Rybak to Minneapolis City Councilmembers.
Dear Colleagues:
I want to take this opportunity to let you know my thoughts about the MPD Awards issue, and next steps I have directed the Chief to take.
First, I want to communicate that I feel strongly that we need to get to the bottom of what went wrong when Minneapolis police officers entered a house based on false information that gang members were inside. Not only were three Minneapolis Police Department officers shot in the line of duty, but the family involved was also harmed. The raid is currently under investigation, and if officers acted inappropriately, we will hold people accountable for what went wrong. The Minneapolis Police Department has apologized to the family, which is an important step.
Second, an investigation has determined that the officers who entered the house that night were not at fault. When these kinds of operations take place, SWAT officers' role is to assist investigators by following through on the search warrant based on information given to them. In doing this, they placed themselves between gunfire and a child and handled a difficult situation with professionalism and bravery.
However, giving this award at this time sends the wrong message to the community at a time when Minneapolis and the Police Department are working hard to strengthen connections with the community, and I don't want this to happen again. I have directed Chief Dolan to review the MPD process for giving awards and report back to me within one month on ways to prevent situations like this in the future.
Please don't hesitate to get in touch with me if you have any thoughts about this matter.
Thank you very much,
R.T. Rybak
Mayor of Minneapolis
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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