>> CATHY: COMING UP ON TONIGHT'S SHOW, A LOOK AT THE BIGGEST DECLINE IN COVID DEATHS SINCE THE PANDEMIC BEGAN MORE THAN THREE YEARS AGO.

RETIRING CHIEF JUSTICE GILDEA PAYS US A VISIT, AND WE'LL SPEND A CHUNK OF TIME LOOKING AT MINNESOTA'S NEW MARIJUANA LAW, SET TO BEGIN ON AUGUST 1ST.

>> ERIC: WE START WITH NEWS OUT OF MINNEAPOLIS.

LATE YESTERDAY, CEDRIC ALEXANDER, THE CITY'S FIRST PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSIONER, ANNOUNCED HE WILL LEAVE AFTER JUST ONE YEAR ON THE JOB.

ONE OF THE DEPARTMENTS DIRECTLY REPORTING TO ALEXANDER IS THE MINNEAPOLIS POLICE DEPARTMENT.

THE M.P.D.

WAS PLACED UNDER A COURT-ORDERED AGREEMENT LATE LAST WEEK WITH THE MINNESOTA HUMAN RIGHTS DEPARTMENT AND IS AWAITING A FEDERAL CONSENT DECREE RELATING TO THE RECENT U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE REPORT.

JOINING US NOW, MINNEAPOLIS POLICE CHIEF BRIAN O'HARA.

WELCOME BACK TO "ALMANAC."

DOES ALEXANDER'S RETIREMENT IN ANY WAY IMPEDE THE MOVE TOWARDS THIS TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE THAT THE M.P.D.

IS SEEKING HERE?

>> WELL, I THINK IT DOESN'T IMPEDE -- IT DOESN'T IMSPEED THE PROGRESS WE'RE MAKING BUT CERTAINLY IT'S ANOTHER CHANGE WE'LL HAVE TO DEAL WITH.

COMMISSIONER ALEXANDER HAS BEEN INCREDIBLY HELPFUL AND SUPPORTIVE DURING HIS TIME HERE.

YOU KNOW, HE STOOD UP THE OFFICE OF COMMUNITY SAFETY, SOMETHING THAT DID NOT EXIST AND NOBODY GAVE HIM AN INSTRUCTION MANUAL ON HOW TO DO IT SO, YOU KNOW -- AND I KNOW EVERYTHING THAT WE DO HERE, PARTICULARLY AROUND PUBLIC SAFETY IN MINNEAPOLIS IS UNDER A MICROSCOPE SO I'M THANKFUL FOR HIS TIME HERE BUT, LIKE OTHERS I KNOW, WE WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE ON.

IT'S JUST -- WE HAVE TO FIGURE THOSE THINGS OUT AS WE GO FORWARD.

>> Cathy: SO WE HAVE THAT ^ -- THAT POSITION WON'T BE FILLED FOR MAYBE A LITTLE WHILE.

WE HAVE THE MENTAL HEALTH TEAM THAT'S LOOKING FOR SOME RESOURCES.

THEY GOT A COUPLE PATS ON THE BACK FROM THE D.O.J.

>> YEAH.

>> Cathy: IS IT TOUGH TO BUILD THE PLANE WHILE IT'S IN THE AIR WHILE YOU'RE TRYING TO FIGURE EVERYTHING OUT?

>> OF COURSE, OF COURSE IT IS.

AND I KNOW THERE WAS SOME CRITICISM FROM THE D.O.J.

REGARDING THE MENTAL HEALTH TEAM.

I THINK THEY'RE FANTASTIC AND I KNOW JUST FROM WHAT I HAVE BEEN TOLD STANDING IT UP HERE WAS A CHALLENGE.

THERE WERE PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T NECESSARILY BELIEVE IN IT, INCLUDING SOME OF OUR OFFICERS.

BUT I CAN TELL YOU TODAY, ALL OF OUR COPS LOVE HAVING THOSE RESOURCES AVAILABLE, THEY SEE THE VALUE IN IT, AND, QUITE FRANKLY, THEY'RE FOLKS WHO ARE TRAINED TO DEAL WITH THOSE TYPES OF EMERGENCIES, LIKE POLICE OFFICERS AREN'T.

SO I THINK THE PROGRAM THAT WE HAVE HERE IS OUTSTANDING AND A MODEL FOR THE COUNTRY, AND I KNOW ALL OF OUR COPS THINK THE SAME, AS WELL.

>> Eric: AS THE DEPARTMENT SCREENS APPLICANTS FOR JOBS IN MINNEAPOLIS P.D., IS THE NEED SO GREAT YOU HAVE TO KIND OF TAKE A SECOND-LEVEL PERSON OR A THIRD-LEVEL PERSON, YOU CAN'T WAIT FOR THE BEST BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT OUT THERE OR... >> NO, THAT'S NOT TRUE AT ALL.

THE REALITY IS TODAY, IF WE ARE GOING TO MOVE FORWARD, IF WE ARE GOING TO HAVE PROGRESS, IF WE ARE GOINGS TO START TO EARN BACK TRUST THAT HAS BEEN LOST FROM SOME FOLKS, AND TRYING TO BUILD TRUST IN PLACES WHERE WE NEVER HAD IT BEFORE, WE HAVE TO BE HAT MUCH MORE CAUTIOUS IN DOING THAT AND SINCE I HAVE BEEN HERE, I HAVE LEARNED THAT THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT FLAWS IN THE PROCESSES IN WAYS THAT I COULD NOT HAVE ANTICIPATED UNTIL I GOT HERE.

SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE WORKING THROUGH, A NUMBER OF CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE ALREADY AND I'M LOOKING TO INCLUDE COMMUNITY IN SOME OF THAT DECISION-MAKING PROCESS, AS WELL.

>> Cathy: I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT THE CONSENTS DECREASE BUT I ALSO NOTICE YOUR BADGE HAS THE BLACK BAND AROUND IT WHICH I'M TUNING IS IN MEMORY OF OFFICER WALLIN, WHO WAS SHOT AND KILLED IN FARGO.

WITH OFFICER SHOOTINGS AND DEATHS, HIGH-PROFILE THAT HAVE OCCURRED RECENTLY, IS IT HARD TO GET YOUNGER PEOPLE INTO THIS FIELD?

>> IT'S HARD ACROSS THE BOARD IN THIS COUNTRY TO ATTRACT YOUNG PEOPLE TO THIS PROFESSION.

I MEAN, JUST THE PROFESSION ITSELF IS VIEWED SO DIFFERENTLY TODAY, AND LIFE IS SO DIFFERENT TODAY.

SO MANY YOUNG PEOPLE WANT TO GO INTO JOBS WHERE THEY CAN WORK VIRTUALLY.

YOU CANNOT DETHAT WORKING IN A SQUAD CAR AND SO, YOU KNOW, IT IS, YOU KNOW, EXPONENTIALLY THAT MUCH HARDER, PARTICULARLY IN THIS AREA WITH EVERYTHING EVERYONE HAS BEEN THROUGH AND, YES, IT DOES SEEM LIKE THERE HAVE BEEN JUST SOME OUTRAGEOUS VIOLENT ASSAULT ON POLICE AND -- >> Eric: THE HUMAN RIGHTS DECISION AND THEN THE CONSENTS DECREE FROM THE FEDS, HOW IS THAT GOING IMPLEMENTING THOSE?

>> YEAH, SO THE SETTLEMENTS AGREEMENT WITH THE STATE JUST BECAME OFFICIAL.

WE HAVE AN IMPLEMENTATION UNIT IN PLACE IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT THAT WORKS IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE.

AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE AN AT THIS TIME PATING HAVING THE FEDERAL CONSENTS DECREE.

I THINK, OF COURSE BEEN THROUGH THIS BEFORE, I KNOW WHAT THIS STUFF LOOKS LIKE, I KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT AND I'M CONFIDENT THAT, YOU KNOW, GIVEN THE SUPPORT THAT OUR OFFICERS NEED, THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO GET THROUGH THIS.

>> Eric: YOU'RE NOT CONCERNED IT WILL DEE INVOLVE INTO A SERIES F TESTIFIES, COMMISSIONS AND COMMITTEES WITH TURF BATTLES AND THE WHOLE THING GOES ON A SHELF SOMEWHERE OR -- >> WE ABSOLUTELY CANNOT HAVE THIS DEVOLVE INTO SOMETHING THAT'S VIEWED AS SIMPLY A LEGAL PROCESS.

THIS IS NOT ABOUT HAVING THE BEST POLICIES WRITTEN ON PAPER, THIS IS ABOUT MAKING CHANGE REAL THAT OUR RESIDENTS CAN FEEL.

THIS IS ABOUT HAVING A YEAR FROM NOW, TWO YEARS FROM NOW, MORE AND MORRIS DENTS OF MINNEAPOLIS, MORE AND MORE PEOPLE WHO INTERACTS WITH THE MINNEAPOLIS POLICE DEPARTMENT TELLING YOU, I TRUST OUR COPS, OUR COPS ARE GOOD PEOPLE, THEY'RE DOING RIGHT BY US.

>> Cathy: BUT I'VE WORKED UNDER THIS BEFORE, THOUGH.

WHAT'S IT LIKE TO HAVE THE COURT OVER YOUR SHOULDER?

>> IT CAN BE VERY DIFFERENT, DEPENDING ON WHICH JURISDICTION YOU'RE IN.

AND WHICH -- WHO ARE THE PLAYERS, THE INDIVIDUAL PEOPLE INVOLVED, SO, FOR EXAMPLE, IN NEWARK, I WOULD SEE THE FEDERAL JUDGE THREE OR FOUR TIMES A YEAR.

IN NEW ORLEANS, WHERE THEY HAVE A CONSENT DECREE, IT'S NOT UNUSUAL FOR THE FEDERAL JUDGE TO SIDEWALK INTO A PRECINCT AND START GIVING -- TO WALK INTO A PRECINCT AND START GIVING DIRECTIONS TO OFFICERS.

DEPENDING ON WHO THE JUDGE IS, THE MONITOR IS, DEPENDING ON WHO THE POLICE LEADERSHIP IS AND WHETHER OR NOT THEY VIEW THIS AS SOMETHING BEING SORT OF SHOVED DOWN THE THROATS OF THE POLICE OR SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GOING TO TELL OUR OFFICERS, THIS IS WHO WE ARE, THIS IS WHAT WE'RE GOING DO AND TRY AND GET BUY-INVOLUNTARILY.

>> Cathy: SAY, I HAVE TO ASK YOU THIS, HE FEEL SPENTLY MINNEAPOLIS CAR THREATS ARE UP TO 4 A DAY, THERE IS A 70% INCREASE.

WHAT'S GOING ON AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

>> THAT'S BEEN GOING ON FOR A YEAR.

LITTLE DRIVEN -- THE INCREASE IS DRIVEN EXCLUSIVELY BY THE THEFTS OF KIAA AND HUNDAIS.

IT'S BEEN HAPPENING FOR ABOUT A YEAR NOW, DRIVEN BY ALL THIS STUFF ON SOCIAL MEDIA.

WE'RE SEEING YOUNGER AND YOUNGER JUVENILES INVOLVED.

YOU KNOW, I HAVE BEEN TRYING DO GET ATTENTION TO THIS ISSUE FOR MONTHS AND WE ARE STARTING TO SEE SOME REFORMS THAT WILL BE HELPFUL.

BECAUSE WHAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING, MOST OF THE TIME I'VE BEEN HERE, IS POLICE OFFICERS WHEN THEY DO MAKE ARRESTS FOR THESE KIDS AND STOLEN CARS, THEY'RE ALMOST IMMEDIATELY RELEASED AND THAT IS PART OF WHAT IS DRIVING THE PROBLEM.