Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey is defending his police chief who is asking to hire outside officers to help the police department amidst growing violence, and an officer shortage.
The Minneapolis City Council is expected to vote this Friday, on a proposal that would allow the city to hire 40 officers from Metro Transit Police, and the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office at a price tag of about $490,000.
At a committee meeting on Tuesday, city council members criticized the move, questioning Chief Medaria Arradondo, and how he is managing its budget of 185 million dollars.
“Our chief has 30 years’ experience,” Mayor Frey told WCCO Radio’s Chad Hartman. “He has a deep-seeded knowledge of where crimes take place, and how to handle them.”
The department is down more than 150 officers after the death of George Floyd, which is about double the attrition rate in a regular year. There’s also been an uptick in the number of shootings in the city.
Mayor Frey said they are taking steps to address the situation, including moving officers around from different departments to answer 911 calls. There’s also expected to be three new recruiting classes, and extra community policing efforts, but he said they still need help.
Frey said the additional officers coming in would focus on 911 calls.
“What that would do is free up other officers to tackle some of the hotspots in the city, to try to prevent gun violence in certain parts of the city.”
The mayor told Chad that the increase in violence is not because of just one thing. “It’s a lack of affordable housing, not enough good paying jobs, COVID-19, and distance learning,” Frey said.
500 people in the city have been wounded by gunfire and dozens more have died in 2020.
