Gov. Walz, Senate Republicans pitch public safety plans

Gov. Tim Walz continued a public safety tour in Brooklyn Park on Wednesday touting a key part of his public safety budget proposal: He wants to spend $300 million for grants to community groups focused on crime prevention.

The governor talked about it at a meeting alongside DFL House Speaker Melissa Hortman, city officials and community groups in Brooklyn Park.

“Empowering community groups to work hand-in-hand and to move upstream and this attitude of we can’t allow violent crimes to increase,” Walz told the group. “We can’t allow our children to be involved with this and we can’t allow shootings on the streets and there’s a whole spectrum of things we should be doing here together. Both to be no tolerance on crime. No tolerance on the causes of crime.”

Brooklyn Park Mayor Lisa Jacobson said every morning she gets up and doesn’t have a message about gunfire overnight she credits police and the community groups they work with to prevent crime.

“We believe in investing in groups that are doing the work that is working,” she said. “It’s making a big difference. If our chief says this is the thing we want to invest in, I believe him.”

Meanwhile, Republicans in the Senate heard two bills regarding bonuses for police officers as a way to keep so many from retiring. One bill offered by Sen. David Senjem, R-Rochester, would reward officers with bonuses up to $10,000 “for exemplary service that goes above and beyond the call of duty, including but not limited to acts of heroism or valor.”

A separate bill by Sen. Paul Gazelka, R-East Gull Lake, would give all officers bonuses of $1,500 for continuing to serve during such difficult times. The retention bonuses could grow to $5,000 for officers between the ages of 50-55 to keep them on the job.

One Democrat said if these bonuses are paid then others should be, too.

“Are the Republicans also planning to offer bonuses in the education committee for teachers who continue to serve because I know we do have teachers that have been leaving,” said Sen. Sandy Pappas, D-St. Paul. “And also on the health committee looking at bonuses for nurses and other health care professionals who also have been departing. It’s called the great resignation.”

“I know that I wanted to focus on public safety,” Gazelka responded. “I just felt like that was the most critical issue right now and so that’s where I put my focus. But it would not surprise me if there were bills for some of the other professions that you mentioned.”

Neither bonus pay bill was voted on Wednesday, but both will be considered for inclusion in a larger public safety budget bill.