Do Minnesota cases show it’s getting easier to convict cops?

By AMY FORLITI
Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Data show it’s rare for police officers to be convicted of on-duty killings. But three recent convictions of police officers in Minnesota have some people wondering whether that’s changing. Legal experts say maybe. But it’s complicated. It depends largely on the strength of evidence. But experts also say that robust protests against police brutality may be raising awareness. And as jurors have seen officers convicted, they may be more open to doing so. The most notable conviction in Minnesota was former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin last year in George Floyd’s death. Three other former officers go on trial this week in St. Paul on federal civil rights charges in Floyd’s death.