Some progressive members of the Minneapolis City Council want to dismantle a public safety department created after George Floyd’s murder and shift its responsibilities elsewhere.
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Minneapolis Council Member Robin Wonsley said the Office of Community Safety has struggled to oversee the police budget and has had challenges with vendors, contract oversight, crime prevention and how many crimes police are solving.
Mayor Jacob Frey, who oversees the public safety commissioner, said in a statement: “This wholesale elimination without a plan, combined with other proposed cuts to MPD, is not a serious proposal when it comes to public safety in our city.”
Overspending by the Minneapolis Police Department is dragging down the entire city budget. The department is projected to blow its budget by more than $23 million this year after missing its target by a similar amount last year. Heavy overtime is driving the overspending.
Minneapolis police officials have admitted that overtime has been mismanaged and abused in recent years, leading to record overspending. Interim Police Chief Bill Peterson said he inherited “frankly, a mess” in finances when he took over in June.
The city’s oversight of more than 100 contracts with violence prevention groups has been so lax that it’s increased the risk of fraud while enabling favoritism in contracting, a recent audit found.
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