Report: Minneapolis Cops Pushed EMTs to Sedate Suspects With ‘Date-Rape Drug’

Emergency medical services workers in Minneapolis gave dozens of criminal suspects and others the powerful tranquilizer ketamine, which is classified as a date-rape drug by the Minneapolis Police Department, at the behest of police officers, according to a draft city report obtained by the Minneapolis Star Tribune. On multiple occasions, those injected needed to be medically revived after suffering heart or breathing failure, according to the report. While Hennepin County EMS workers are allowed to administer the drug in certain situations, some of the suspects injected did not fit the criteria or appeared to be already restrained, the report said. There were 62 documented ketamine injections last year, up from three in 2012. Around the time a draft of the report was released, Minneapolis police commander told officers that they “shall never suggest or demand EMS Personnel ‘sedated’ a subject.” Before this, the department did not have a policy regarding the drug.