Minneapolis PD Suspends Police Escorts For Sports Teams After Trooper-Induced Bus Crash

The Minneapolis Police Department on Thursday announced that it is "temporarily suspending its escorts of visiting NFL teams," days after a city squad car caused two trailing Redskins buses to "crash while heading to the game against the Vikings," according to Paul Walsh of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. The police car "hit a guardrail" on a highway exit ramp, "prompting the second bus to rear-end the bus ahead." A Vikings spokesperson "declined to address the department’s decision." MPD Public Info Officer Scott Seroka said that the escort suspension not only "covers visiting NFL teams but also any" in the NBA, NHL and MLB. He added that the escorts for the teams in those leagues "are provided on a 'case-by-case basis' and not under any specific department policy similar to the one covering NFL teams." Vikings Communications Dir Jeff Anderson said that the need for police escorts "boils down to security" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 11/7).