Staffing shortage with Minneapolis Police prompts lawsuit from the Upper Midwest Law Center

The legal action asks the Hennepin County District Court to order Mayor Jacob Frey to comply with the Minneapolis City Charter’s minimum police staffing requirement.

"UMLC has filed a petition for a writ of mandamus for the state district court to compel Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey to hire an additional 100 police officers to fully staff the Minneapolis Police Department, in compliance with the Minneapolis City Charter," Attorney Rachel Paulose announced.

There currently 630 sworn police officers in the city, and those staff shortages with the Minneapolis Police Department are raising red flags.

A Supreme Court decision in 2020 found that Mayor Jacob Frey had a clear legal duty to adhere to the minimum staffing requirements. That never happened, as the city has continued to struggle to fill its ranks.

"We have tried to resolve this matter amicably, to no avail," Paulose continues. "Ultimately, UMLC had no choice but to file this lawsuit to force the city to fully staff its deeply under-resourced police department."

Paulose says residents have waited long enough for the hiring to happen, and time to act is now.

"So we're over 100 officers short, which is a very sizable number given how relatively small the police department is in Minneapolis," she adds. "That's a serious problem, and it explains the crisis of spiraling crime in Minneapolis, and the crisis of faith that residents are experiencing right now."

City spokesperson Jess Olstad issued the following statement on behalf of the city.

“The City of Minneapolis rejects allegations that the number of police officers has been suppressed. That is far from the truth. In fact, significant recruitment and retention efforts currently show that the City is on track to have over 700 officers in 2027. 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. All this in a time when other cities across the country are seeing a decrease in police officers. “This work isn’t slowing down. Mayor Frey, Commissioner Barnette and MPD Chief O’Hara have made recruitment a priority, and that focus has resulted in significant progress.”