Third Party to Evaluate Police Response to Hortman Murders
Multiple law enforcement agencies that responded to the June 14 assassination of Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, in their Brooklyn Park home have asked a third party to evaluate their actions.
The International Association of Chiefs of Police will conduct the review, which will begin at the first 911 call from the Champlin home of Sen. John Hoffman, where he and his wife were both shot but survived.
It will probe the 43-hour manhunt that ended with the arrest of Vance Boelter, who allegedly impersonated a police officer during both shootings.
According to a press release, the $429,500 investigation will take about six months to complete, and the results will be released to the public.
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) will pay $210,000, just less than half of the total cost. The balance will be split between the Hennepin County Department of Administration, which will pay $165,000; the city of Brooklyn Park, which will pay $27,488; the city of Champlin, which will pay $18,039; and the city of New Hope, which will pay $8,518.
“I want to recognize the exceptional work of DPS staff and our law enforcement partners,” said DPS Commissioner Bob Jacobson. “This after-action review not only represents Minnesota’s commitment to learning and improving but also to honoring the lives that were lost and forever changed because of one person’s horrific actions. By examining what worked well and where we can improve, we can strengthen our ability to respond to future emergencies and also share lessons that can help law enforcement nationwide keep their communities safe.”
Meanwhile, Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley presented the plan to the city council on Monday night.
He said the leaking of critical intelligence during the investigation was “mind-boggling.”
“There was times the media was reporting things that I, as a commander in the morning in the command center, had only learned five minutes before, and it was already getting leaked,” he said.
The Brooklyn Park Police Department recently cleared two of its officers that fired their service weapons during the incident of any wrongdoing.
