Names of officers who killed Winston Smith (Minneapolis) unlikely to ever go public

[WhiskeyGrinder]

https://www.startribune.com/names-of-officers-who-killed-winston-smith-unlikely-to-ever-go-public/600077160/

It's unlikely that the names of the officers who fatally shot Winston Smith atop a Minneapolis parking ramp last month will ever be made public.

Minnesota and federal laws call for concealment of the names of officers working undercover, and the legal hurdles against their release are high — especially since they were deputized as federal agents by the U.S. Marshals North Star Fugitive Task Force.

(snip)

It's unclear why officers deputized by the U.S. marshals in Minnesota are not yet allowed to wear body cameras. The U.S. Department of Justice ruled in October 2020 that deputized members of federal task forces could wear them. The marshals began phasing in this policy in February 2021, according to a statement released in early June, but there was no explanation for the delay in implementing the policy in Minnesota. The U.S. marshals' office in Minneapolis directed all questions to the Washington, D.C., public affairs department.

"U.S. Marshals Service task force members do not generally operate in any undercover capacities," spokesman Dave Oney wrote in an e-mail to the Star Tribune. Oney said officers deputized by the marshals might have undercover duties for their local agencies, but did not elaborate as to why task forces would choose to deputize local undercover officers — and risk blowing their covers — rather than non-undercover agents. He referred additional questions back to the BCA, which is investigating the case.

This fucking stinks.