The city of Minneapolis is looking to bring in additional cops to help the city’s police force battle a surge in violence just months after the city trimmed the department’s budget and threatened to abolish the police department.
The May 25th death of George Floyd sparked international riots and is facing an unprecedented crime wave along with a shortage of officers.
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On Friday, the city council barely passed funding to bring in outside officers from the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office and Metro Transit Police. The officers would be temporarily assigned in the city to assist with 911 calls and to respond to violence according to the Star Tribune reported.
“We’re not gonna’ be having these people out taking bicycle theft reports. These are going to be people out combating crime issues,” Minneapolis police spokesman John Elder told the news outlet.
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Funding the reinforcements would cost the city nearly $500,000 under the proposal.
The proposal would form crime-fighting teams beginning November 15th through the end of the year.
Council Member Linea Palmisano, who supports the additional patrols, said she also hopes the city will be able to continue them in the 2021 budget, which will be finalized next month.
“We’re barely able to cover the shifts that we have,” Palmisano told the news outlet. “We really can’t allocate additional police officers for on-duty shifts.”
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Mayor Frey supports the proposal, according to his office, the Star Tribune reported.
Following George Floyd’s death a large number of officers left the department.
In July, the City Council approved a plan to cut $1.1 million from the police department’s budget. It had initially been budgeted $193 million before the trim.
Meanwhile, crime has risen in the city, which has recorded 74 homicides so far this year, up from 48 the previous year.
