Good morning, and happy Tuesday. 

There was more pressure on Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey Monday over exactly what the city’s policy is on no-knock warrants.MPR’s Matt Sepic reports Frey spoke to a city council committee following the police killing of Amir Locke during a raid last week. During his campaign for reelection, Frey claimed that he’d imposed a ban on no-knock warrants, using the word “ban” specifically. Language to that effect was on his campaign website as recently as May but taken down sometime between then and Election Day last November, according to snapshots of the site on archive.org. The mayor appeared at the committee meeting at the council’s invitation. In response to a question from council member Jeremiah Ellison, Frey said throughout the course of his campaign his language about the policy change became more “casual.” “My language and what we were saying, certainly in longer form, honored the spirit of this policy change, but there were instances when it did not, and I own that,” the mayor said. Frey emphasized that his prior policy ended the practice of police entering unannounced, yet he admitted it was not a total ban. “We believed at the time that the most important piece was the announcement itself. And clearly I think in addition to the announcement, there’s room to go even further,” Frey said.

As noted here yesterday, the debate over no-knock warrants is headed to the Capitol. From the Star Tribune: "When we look at the moment that we are in right now and the way no-knock warrants were used in this situation with Amir Locke, we recognize that nine seconds is not enough time for anybody to properly respond in the way law enforcement would like them to," said state Rep. Athena Hollins, a St. Paul Democrat who plans to announce the new prohibition bill later this morning. "That's how much time he got between them opening the door and shooting." State Sen. Warren Limmer, the Maple Grove Republican who chairs the Senate's judiciary and public safety committee, told reporters Monday that he was not inclined to support a ban on all no-knock warrants. "The one thing I do know is police activity is very challenging, especially when you're trying to arrest a dangerous criminal," Limmer said. "There are times when you have to use extreme measures to make their arrest, otherwise the public is in danger."

Meanwhile a Senate committee approved a plan to spend $1 million to try to attract more Minnesotans to become police officers. MPR’s Tim Pugmire reports: Sen. Karin Housley, R-Stillwater, the bill’s author, is proposing spending the money for marketing and advertising efforts. She said many people in law enforcement are feeling unappreciated. “We’d be advertising the value and the need for being a peace officer, and the rewarding career that it can be, and the wonderful and hard work that they do,” Housley said. “It is my hope that we can elevate and recognize all law enforcement professions and spread the word of this rewarding and honorable career.” Sen Ron Latz, DFL-St. Louis Park, voted against the bill. Latz questioned the effectiveness of a $1 million advertising campaign and asked whether the money could be better spent elsewhere. “I don’t think that a $1 million marketing and advertising campaign is going to undo the conduct of a very limited number of law enforcement officers that have behaved inappropriately or wrongfully,” Latz said. “I just don’t know if it’s $1 million that would be well spent.”

A state senator injured in a snowmobile crash near Motley, on Friday suffered several broken bones when a high-speed turn sent him flying off the machine he was riding.MPR’s Brian Bakst reports Sen. John Jasinski, R-Faribault, was hospitalized after the crash. He broke three ribs and his pelvis and suffered a fractured vertebrae. But he said in a statement Monday he expects to make a full recovery and will continue to work remotely. Jasinski, 55, and fellow GOP Sen. Mark Johnson of East Grand Forks were participating in a trail ride organized by Minnesota United Snowmobilers Association. The Morrison County Sheriff’s Office initially said Monday that Jasinski was thrown from his sled when he and Johnson collided in a turn on the trail. The accident happened in Scandia Valley Township. But in an updated statement Monday afternoon, the office said Jasinski lost control in a 90-degree turn and was thrown off his snowmobile and that Johnson then struck the unoccupied machine with his snowmobile.

And from the Associated Press:Minnesota Senate Republicans on Monday released a $2.73 billion proposal to repay the state’s debt to the federal government for unemployment benefits during the pandemic and prevent a looming tax hike on businesses. Minnesota’s unemployment trust fund swung from a $1.7 billion balance in January 2020 to a deficit of $1.2 billion after businesses closed or laid off workers due to the pandemic and more than 1.3 million Minnesotans applied for unemployment benefits from the start of the pandemic through September 2021. Lawmakers want to use the state's projected $7.7 billion surplus and more than $1 billion in leftover federal aid to replenish the fund, urging fast action on the issue before a March 15 deadline when an automatic payroll tax hike would put businesses on the hook to repay the federal loan debt.