Mixed bag on combating major crimes for Minneapolis park police
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In July 20, Minneapolis Park Police Chief, Jason Ohotto, told Minneapolis Park Board of Commissioners, that major crimes in city parks has risen to a level through the first six months of 2022 that is “significant and a dramatic increase.”
Major crimes are comprised of violent crimes such as homicide, rape and aggravated assault as well as property crimes which include burglary, auto theft and larceny.
Chief Ohotto told Park Board Commissioners there have been 244 major crime incidents through the first six months of this year. If that trend continues it will exceed the total number of major crimes for all of 2020 and 2021, respectively.
The good news, Ohotto said, was Park Police put extra effort into patrolling three city parks: Loring, Stevens Square and East Phillips. In the three parks there had been a combined 25 violent crimes last year. So far through the first two quarters of this year, combined, there has only been one violent crime incident in those parks.