Minneapolis city leaders discuss police presence, new tip line

As the trial of Derek Chauvin continues, Minneapolis city leaders say people can expect to notice a larger police presence in the city.

Leaders specifically said they will ramp up measures this weekend.

Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo said there will be a police and National Guard presence at 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, as well as other areas of the city.

"Communities and business owner should not be surprised if they see them, Humvees in patrol with other police vehicles," Arradondo said.

The city leaders also discussed its new police tip line. The line was created to allow community members to report suspicious activity.

The death of George Floyd brought nights of protesting and rioting throughout the Twin Cities. 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS reported many people trying to call 911 to report suspicious activities had difficulty getting their calls answered.

A 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS reporter asked Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey if the new line was a direct response to issues experienced last summer.

"The answer in part is yes, but in reality no," Frey said. "We know that last time around people were calling 911 for tips, and that was a substantial number of calls. So we’ve created a separate tip line, and that new tip line has most recently been expanded so that we are able to take a massive influx of calls, we are able to get those calls transcribed, and we are able to use the data and information that we get through those calls."