Employee Health and Wellness
Assessment Report Prepared for the City of Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Police Department
By Carmen Facciolo, Denise Rodriguez, Dr. Brandi Burque, Neil Hubbert, and Nathan Witkin
With Lenore Lebron, Amy Kevis, and Dr. Danielle Reynolds
On June 1, 2020, the Minnesota Department of Human Rights (MDHR) filed a discrimination charge against the City of Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD). The charge alleged that the City and MPD were involved in a pattern or practice of race discrimination. After investigating the allegations, the Commissioner issued Findings on April 27, 2022. As a result, the City of Minneapolis and MDHR entered a court-enforceable settlement agreement, necessitating a review of operations, including their Wellness and Support Program. As part of this agreement, the MPD is obligated to complete a needs assessment and develop an employee support plan based on its findings. The assessment and plan must adhere to specific requirements outlined in the agreement. A crosswalk of our assessment with the specific requirements noted in paragraph 255 of the agreement is provided in Appendix C. To fulfill this requirement, the City of Minneapolis selected The Consortium for Health, Justice, and Safety (referred to as The Consortium) to conduct the needs assessment of the MPD Wellness and Support Program. The objective was to identify any gaps or deficiencies and provide recommendations for improvement. The Consortium commenced its work in October 2023 and completed the assessment in December 2023.
The Consortium employed a holistic methodology to carry out this assessment. Our approach was anchored in objectivity and encompassed a review of relevant MPD policies and procedures, a survey distributed to all MPD personnel, and interviews and focus groups with MPD sworn officers and civilian staff. This enabled us to understand the experiences and perspectives of MPD employees concerning the available support services. The insights gathered through this process were instrumental in identifying areas for improvement and formulating the recommendations outlined in this report.
Policy Reviews. The review of department policies and procedures encompassed a wide range of areas, including wellness, responses to critical incidents, early intervention systems, Peer Support, and the MPD's Employee Resource Program. Additionally, The Consortium examined the department's training related to these policies and procedures, as well as its Wellness Support Program. The objective of this examination was to gain a thorough understanding of the current policies and procedures in these areas and identify opportunities for improvement to ensure alignment with best practices in policing.
Survey. The Consortium developed and distributed a survey to all MPD personnel. The primary goal of this survey was to gain a broader understanding of officer and staff perceptions and experiences with the MPD Wellness Program. The survey was designed by subject matter experts on the Consortium team and informed by our knowledge of the current structure of the MPD Wellness Program. It aimed to evaluate the health and wellness support service needs of MPD employees, including the quality and availability of services and programs provided through the Employee Assistance Program, as well as the quality of external clinical service providers. The survey was conducted from November 20, 2023, to December 04, 2023, and received responses from a diverse cross-section of both sworn and civilian employees within the MPD. Out of the 242 total responses, 195 were included in the analysis, representing approximately 26 percent of the entire MPD department. This significant response rate provides a statistically significant representation of the workforce. For more detailed information on the survey methodology and findings, please refer to An Assessment of MPD’s Wellness and Support Program: Survey of Personnel in the report.
Interviews & Focus Groups. The examination of MPD's Wellness Support Program also involved assessing its internal communication strategy and outreach efforts to staff and sworn officers. This included conducting formal and informal interviews (in-person, where possible), to gather input from individuals involved and affected by the department's policies and practices, identifying common themes across perspectives, and providing recommendations for enhancing community relationships based on the insights gathered. In total the Consortium interviewed 35 sworn officers and civilian staff from various units, precincts, and offices within the MPD.
