Six years ago, a lawsuit settlement put aside more than $1.5 million for training to help police avoid racially charged incidents like the recent shooting death of Philando Castile.

But so far, nearly $215,000 has been spent without one course being offered.

The money is an important part of the 2010 settlement of a lawsuit against the Metro Gang Strike Force. The multi-jurisdictional team was accused of improperly seizing money and property and brutalizing innocent victims, many of whom were people of color.

That's why Randy Hopper, the attorney who filed the lawsuit and worked on the case up until a resolution was reached, called for much of the $3 million in settlement money to go toward training to improve police interactions with communities of color.

"We saw this firestorm coming and it needed to be addressed and rectified within police academies a long time ago," Hopper said of the deadly interactions between police and black men in recent years that have fueled protests nationwide.

Hopper added that though he hasn't been involved in the case since the 2010 settlement, he's disappointed the mandated training isn't in place.

"I was shocked and surprised to learn this was never implemented," he said. "I'm extremely disappointed because it could serve as a model for police training."

'INNOVATIVE' TRAINING

Joseph Flynn, attorney for the Metro Gang Strike Force in the lawsuit, defended the timeline for developing the training. He said funds for the courses were not distributed until three years after the settlement deal was reached.

"We've been working on the training for approximately three years," Flynn said. "The goal of the training is to do something innovative, not to just repeat what's already out there. That's taken quite a bit of time to put together."

The police training called for in the settlement mirrors what many community leaders have said recently is necessary to begin improving the relationship between law enforcement and communities of color. Included are instruction about: "Basic civil rights, community-based policing, and racial and ethnic sensitivity," the settlement stipulates.

Castile, who was black, was fatally shot during a July 6 traffic stop in Falcon Heights. His girlfriend said Castile was not a threat and was shot while reaching for his ID after telling officers he possessed a firearm he had a permit to carry.

St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez, who is Latino, has said through his attorney the shooting had nothing to do with race. Yanez's attorney said Castile was stopped because he matched the description of a robbery suspect, and the officer fired his weapon after seeing a gun.

SLOW PROGRESS

In a June letter to U.S. District Court Judge Joan N. Ericksen, Flynn gave a progress report of how the new police training was coming together.

Neil Melton, the former head of the Minnesota Peace Officers Standards and Training Board, was brought on in 2014 to lead the effort. Melton used his police contacts to understand the "concerns and expectations" law enforcement had for the training, Flynn wrote.

Melton was paid $114,477, or more than $8,000 a month, between July 2014 and August 2015 to help develop the training, which was initially designed as a week-long course that would be offered to police at colleges and universities around the state, Flynn said.

Melton retired in September of 2015 and new leader Lora Setter helped change the design of the training so it could be delivered online. Setter has earned $9,727 for 130 hours of work on the project between October 2015 and April 2016, Flynn said.

The changes also were made in reaction to national events over the past year involving police and communities of color, Flynn said. Online training should also reach more officers in an economical way, he added.

"It really had a significant change of focus. We kind of went back to the drawing board and reworked it," said Flynn, who hopes the courses will be available in the coming months. "Right now, there is significant money. We could reach a number of officers."

Andy Skoogman, executive director of the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association, said his more than 300 members found serious logistical challenges with sending officers to week-long, in-person training. Such a time commitment would be especially hard for smaller departments, he said.

"If we want to reach every police officer out there in the state of Minnesota, online is the way to do it," Skoogman said. "We are supportive of any training that helps our officers better connect with the communities they serve."

NEEDED CHANGE

Many state and local leaders have acknowledged changes are need to improve the relationship between law enforcement and communities of color.

Data recently released by the St. Anthony police shows blacks were significantly more likely than whites to face arrest despite being a much smaller percentage of the population.

The St. Anthony arrest disparity aligns with a 2003 study, the most recent available, of 65 police jurisdictions that found drivers of color were more likely to be stopped, searched and arrested even though they were less likely than whites to be found with contraband.

Attorney Hopper said the police training required by the Metro Gang Strike Force settlement could help address some of Minnesota's arrest disparities.

"Had this training program been implemented in a timely way, the way it should have been, we would have a good five, six years behind us," Hopper said. "We would have a bright, shining, exemplary model that is more appropriate and sensitive to diverse cultures and populations."

Rachel E. Stassen-Berger contributed to this report.