Officer training has become central to the continuing controversy over Minneapolis Police Department practices. The city administration, cops and many others say new and improved training are key to shifting the culture that has contributed to civilian injuries and deaths at the hands of police.
And yet now the public is learning that some of the same old and arguably discriminatory training is still being done — despite being challenged by experts. That raises questions about whether the MPD is really working to change or just giving lip service to the idea.
In the federal trial underway in St. Paul for three former Minneapolis officers charged in connection with George Floyd's killing, the defense says that the officers were following department protocol on how to handle someone suffering from "excited delirium" — a disputed diagnosis for a severe form of agitation in which people exhibit aggressive behavior and exceptional strength.
Excited delirium has become an increasingly controversial diagnosis in recent years, with some medical and human rights officials and social justice advocates questioning its use and treatment.
The American Medical Association has publicly opposed it, calling the diagnosis a "manifestation of systemic racism" and saying it has been used as an excuse to explain excessive use of force by police and the use of unneeded sedatives.
A recent Star Tribune news story quoted MPD spokesman Garrett Parten as saying that the department's training "no...
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