Minnesota created a new system after 2020 that mandates police disciplinary cases be handled by a neutral, state-appointed pool of six arbitrators rather than ones picked through mutual selection by police unions and management. The goal was to increase impartiality and avoid bias or patterns of arbitrators frequently siding with officers.
In summary, while the neutral arbitrator pool was intended to address bias and increase fairness, the core issue—arbitrators’ robust authority to overturn discipline—remains. Public trust in the system has seen modest improvement, but calls for deeper reform persist.house.mn+3