Audit committee directs auditor to design independent review function for high‑impact public safety cases

The Minneapolis City Audit Committee on Oct. 20 directed the City Auditor to establish an independent review function to examine options for investigating and reviewing high‑impact public safety cases.

The request from the City Council and discussion at the meeting referenced high‑profile cases that families and the public have asked to be reviewed, including after-action reviews underway for the deaths of Lisonbee Lusher and Davis Maturi and a previously requested review into the murder of Mariah Samuels. Committee members and the auditor said the city lacks a consistent enterprise mechanism to conduct timely, independent reviews of systemic breakdowns that follow tragedies.

City Auditor Timmerman said the work will identify where a review function could live — within the auditor’s office, as a separate inspector general model or another independent structure — and define related resource, independence and process requirements. Timmerman said the review may recommend charter changes if needed and could lead to short-term arrangements (contracted reviews) while long-term structure is decided.

Committee members said the new function should be equitable and available for cases that may not attract media attention but nonetheless have systemic importance. The committee voted to direct the City Auditor to perform this review and return recommendations on structure, resources and legal or charter implications.