Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Police Chief Brian O'Hara are speaking with the media Friday after an agreement was reached in ongoing contract negotiations with the police union.
Full negotiations are still ongoing, but the two sides have agreed on a package of recruitment and retention incentives for existing officers and new hires. The City points out that this letter of agreement is just one outcome from the ongoing process.
The tentative agreement also gives Chief O'Hara more authority over staffing. The department is still down more than 300 officers from pre-pandemic levels, and attrition following the police murder of George Floyd.
Outlined in the letter of agreement, eligible employees in the bargaining unit will receive incentives over the next three years. Existing employees will receive $18,000 over three years and new hires will receive $15,000 over three years, according to a specific payment schedule.
“As an employer, we need to compete to recruit and retain police officers – that's no surprise to anyone who has been paying attention,” said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. “Our officers are doing incredibly hard work every day, and we need to pay them accordingly. It’s also clear that stronger managerial authority for the Department and Chief is a key piece of our overarching reform and safety work. This letter of agreement is a step in the right direction to both pay our existing and new officers more and strengthen our ability to effectively staff critical shifts.”
“This is great news for our current and future police officers,” said Council Member LaTrisha Vetaw, chair of the Public Health and Safety Committee. “We went into these negotiations hoping to gain back managerial authority, and I’m glad to see that we are both gaining that authority over shift bidding and increasing incentives for our officers at the same time. This is an exciting outcome, and I’m grateful to the City staff team leading this work. I look forward to the Council approving this letter of agreement.”