On Friday, the council approved the funding without any discussion, though Council Member Jeremy Schroeder did ask the mayor earlier in the meeting for more details about police officer discipline.Įarlier this week, ahead of the final City Council vote, Mayor Jacob Frey and Police Chief Medaria Arradondo announced that they were making changes to the hiring process. Late last year, the City Council, in one of its most assertive moves yet, created a new Public Safety Staffing Reserve Fund, which holds about $11.4 million for police overtime and recruit classes, money that can only be released with additional council approval.Ĭouncil members who supported the plan said they hoped to improve accountability and transparency for the Police Department. The mayor and City Council have traditionally approved funding for police staffing in the budgeting cycle. Others have encouraged elected officials to dismantle the department, saying police haven't proven effective at reducing crime. In the months since then, some residents have begged city leaders to hire additional officers, saying they're waiting longer for responses to emergency calls amid a dramatic uptick in violent crime. With the new recruit classes, the city expects it will have 674 officers available to work at the end of the year, and another 28 working their way through the hiring process at that time.Īn unprecedented number of officers quit or went on an extended medical leave - many for PTSD claims - after Floyd's death, rioting that led to the burning of a police precinct, and calls to end the city's Police Department. Some officers resigned or retired early in the year, while another 155 remain on some form of extended leave. But, only 638 officers are currently available to work, the department said. Minneapolis police said they began the year with 817 officers on their payroll, 60 fewer than the previous year. The additional funding comes at a time when some City Council members and activist groups are pushing to replace the Police Department in the wake of George Floyd's death.
The unanimous vote came eight days after Minneapolis police requested the funding, saying they had 200 fewer police officers available to work than in most recent years. Minneapolis will hire dozens more police officers after the City Council on Friday agreed to release $6.4 million to bring on additional recruits.
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