The Necessary Number of MPD Officers Is More Than a Math Question
I went to an event Tuesday night where our mayor and council president talked about police and crime in Minneapolis, and here's what I got from it: they both want the next police chief to listen to residents and push for reform, which is good, but nobody really talked about what we're going to do to reduce crime and get more cops on the force. Payne did some math showing as few as 270 to 450 officers are needed to handle 911 calls, but the city charter actually requires 731 officers, and most Minneapolis residents want more police anyway-they're tired of all the gangs and drugs on the streets right now. Just yesterday, June 30, federal agents arrested 11 people for drug trafficking and murder connected to gangs operating near Lake Street and Nicollet Avenue, which proves that we still have serious problems that need serious solutions. The bottom line is that we can't solve this with just math or just reforms-we need both police presence and better social services. That's why I'm traveling to Portland, Seattle, and San Francisco next month to learn from other cities and come back with real ideas for how Minneapolis can actually move forward. Read the full newsletter.