Mayor Frey, council members amend Minneapolis police budget; look to add recruit class

Photo: KSTP/Michael Oakes
Minneapolis City Hall

Updated: December 06, 2019 05:21 PM

Friday, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, along with other city council members, announced a change to the Minneapolis Police Department's budget.

Among the amendments, Frey called for adding a recruitment class in addition to hiring new officers he proposed earlier this year.

The additional officers originally proposed by Frey would have included eight neighborhood outreach officers, three investigators and three traffic enforcement officers.

Mayor Frey's budget calls for far fewer officers than MPD requested

A release from the city said the addition of a recruitment class "will help the department bridge the gap between the sworn complement and active-duty officers.

Frey said because he reallocated an existing recommendation, the amendment will not impact the property tax levy.

"Over the last several months, I've had extensive conversations with my council colleagues and residents throughout our city," Frey said in a statement. "The amendments we've put forward today are a direct result of those conversations and reflect a sincere team effort to strengthen public safety in every neighborhood and work with community to prevent violence."

Along with putting resources toward a new recruitment class, council members proposed amendments that will fund the Office of Violence Prevention and other programs.