Minneapolis returned on Friday on its original push to defend the city’s police department in the wake of George Floyd’s death in police custody after residents begged the city to hire more officers, citing longer response times and increasing violent crime.
The city council unanimously voted Friday to approve $ 6.4 million in additional funding requested by police.
RESISTANCE: Protesters are arrested after nightmare in Minneapolis, as protests continued after the death of George Floyd, who died after being confined to Minneapolis police on Memorial Day.
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According to the department, there are only 638 officers available to work – about 200 less than usual. An unprecedented number of officers stopped or went on extended medical leave after Floyd’s death and the unrest that followed.
With new recruiting classes, the city expects to have 674 officers available by the end of the year, with another 28 in the hiring process, Star Tribune reported.
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Mayor Jacob Frey and Medaria Arradondo, police chief, promised days before the city council vote to update the recruitment process for police recruits to include questions about whether they lived in Minneapolis, or their degrees in criminology, social work, psychology or counseling. have, and whether they volunteer or participate in programs such as the Police Activity League.
Meanwhile, three city council members have suggested that the police department be replaced by a public safety department that will include law enforcement and other services. Yes 4 Minneapolis, a coalition of local community groups, is also collecting signatures to get a similar proposal on the November ballot.
The Star Tribune reports that the Yes 4 Minneapolis Committee is fueled by a half-million-dollar grant from the Washington, DC-based Open Society Policy Center, linked to billionaire George Soros.
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The petition would remove the language of the police department from the city charter and create a public safety department focused on health, “including licensed peacekeepers if necessary to fulfill the department’s responsibilities.”
Associated Press contributed to this report.