Minnesota is poised to give school resource officers clearer authority to use force

@ap.news The sun shines on the Minnesota State Capitol on Monday, Feb. 12, 2024, in St. Paul, on the opening day of the 2024 session of the Minnesota Legislature. Lawmakers have a relatively modest agenda ahead after a momentous 2023 session that saw Democrats use their newfound full control of the statehouse to enact an ambitious list of their priorities. (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski)

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota lawmakers are on the verge of a compromise that will give police officers who work in schools clearer authority to use force.

Minnesota reacted to the 2020 murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis officer with a series of police accountability measures. But a law enacted last year led around 40 police departments across the state to pull their officers from schools. They said new restrictions on prone restraints made it impossible to do their jobs.

The Minnesota House voted 124-8 Monday to pass a change backed by law enforcement that’s meant to ensure that school resource officers can use prone restraints.