Minneapolis City Council wants update on MPD staffing recommendations

Minneapolis City Council is hoping to hear an update on recommendations given to the Minneapolis Police Department regarding staffing levels.

In 2022, a private company was hired by the city of Minneapolis to look at staffing levels at the Minneapolis Police Department. It offered a list of recommendations to improve community outreach and more efficient ways to respond to 911 calls.

Now, the City Council’s Health and Public Safety Committee would like to find out how many of those recommendations have been met and what obstacles there are to get the remaining recommendations implemented.

City Council member Robin Wonsley said the updated information will help the city move forward.

“So, this legislative directive asks the mayor to explain which of those recommendations listed in the report have been implemented and also asks for information about what barriers are preventing implementation,” said Wonsley.

City records showed there were 503 active full-duty officers on the MPD payroll at the end of February, down from more than 800 in 2019.

City Council member Michael Rainville told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS more officers need to be hired as soon as possible.

“Seven days a week, 24 hours a day, so we’re asking those brave women and men to give up so much of their family life, to not spend time with their children, because they have to work overtime,” said Rainville.