Minneapolis police officer shortage violates Minnesota Supreme Court ruling
MINNEAPOLIS — A nonprofit legal firm representing four Minnesota residents has filed a lawsuit against Minneapolis, claiming that police recruitment efforts have not been sufficient to meet legal requirements, KARE reported.
The Upper Midwest Law Center, which filed the suit, stated that the city needs to hire more officers to meet a legal threshold set by the Minnesota Supreme Court in a 2021 suit, according to KARE.
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“This case is about enforcing the law as written and as already interpreted by the Minnesota Supreme Court,” Doug Seaton, President of the UMLC, said in a statement. “The Mayor does not have discretion to ignore the City Charter. Minneapolis residents are entitled to the police protection the law requires, and after years of noncompliance, the court must now enforce that duty.”
The residents named in the suit feel that their rights are being violated due to the city’s officer shortage. The suit claims that the city must maintain a staffing level of at least 731 officers, according to KARE.
In early 2021, the city’s police department employed 835 sworn officers. The number dropped to 627 less than a year later and has wavered between the high 500s to low 600s since then, the filing alleges.
City officials denied any suppression on the number of officers employed, pointing to recruitment efforts and stating that the agency is on track to meet hiring goals.
“Minneapolis has the most diverse police force in our history, saw a record number of applications from people wanting to join the department this past year and has continued to keep violent crime down … This work isn’t slowing down,” the city’s statement reads. “Mayor Frey, Commissioner Barnette and MPD Chief O’Hara have made recruitment a priority, and that focus has resulted in significant progress.”
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