Twin Cities officials to formally review RNC police methods

Mayor R.T. Rybak
Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak said he understands the need for a thorough assessment on security efforts, now that the convention is over.
MPR Photo/Tom Scheck

Officials with the cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis said they will formally review police tactics used last week to quell demonstrations during the Republican National Convention.

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak said he is proud of how police officers handled protests held in his city.

Still, Rybak said he understands the need for a thorough assessment on security efforts, now that the convention is over.

"The discussion of the police force is a very legitimate one that we can't fully answer now, and I think it's right to have a conversation about that," said Rybak. "I can't, at this point, second-guess any decision that was made. I think it was appropriate. But it's also important for this entire community, which frankly has never done anything on this scale, to stand back and look at that."

More than 800 people were arrested in the two cities last week. While some residents have praised the police for maintaining order and preventing further property damage, critics say their methods were heavy-handed.

St. Paul police recruited more than 3,700 officers locally and from across the country to secure the convention.

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