We have the opportunity to create our shared vision of a safer city with the Transforming Public Safety Charter Amendment.
Former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin is on trial for the murder of George Floyd this week. This Friday, March 12, the City Council will approve the Transforming Public Safety Charter Amendment to go to the Charter Commission, and then onto ballot for voters to decide the future of public safety in Minneapolis this November.
As a Northside City Councilmember, I spend the majority of my time focused on public safety issues in my community. We are no strangers to violent crimes that have stolen the lives of too many. And too many times, I have felt powerless to do anything about it because of the current City Charter structure. That’s why I am the lead author on the Transforming Public Safety Charter Amendment that will be on the ballot this November.
COLLABORATION
Why aren’t we working together?
With escalating crime last year after the murder of George Floyd and little improvement by law enforcement action alone in the months following, the City Council unanimously approved a staff direction[1] to address the concentrated violent crime in my Ward. There was intelligence that youth gun homicides in Ward 4 were connected to crimes like carjackings in other parts of the city. The type of strategy outlined in this staff direction requires fewer resources than normal police operating procedures, and has been successful in Minneapolis in the past[2].
Due to the current City Charter structure, the Mayor has both legislative and executive authority over MPD[3]. This means that MPD only must comply with City Council direction if the Mayor wills it. For what I can only assume are political reasons, the Mayor never prioritized this staff direction. MPD was never compelled to fully commit and do their part. As a result, more children were murdered.
The safety of Minneapolis children and families should not be politicized. In a new public safety ecosystem as proposed by the Transforming Public Safety Charter Amendment, a collaborative table like the one the Council tried to create with the staff direction would be embedded in the daily work structure. This new department would be able to deploy division-specific resources as needed (e.g. law enforcement to gun violence) or implement more collaborative approaches across divisions within - and outside of - the department to address increasingly complex and specific public safety challenges.
TRANSPARENCY
What happens when the Mayor alone can make MPD policy?
The Council has a very public and transparent legislative process it must go through that includes recorded committee meetings, public hearings and ultimately a majority vote for Council approval. Because the Mayor has legislative authority over MPD, policymaking doesn’t happen in the public eye like it does with the Council. The Mayor can just make new MPD policies and then do a press conference after the fact. The Mayor then also leads the implementation of that policy.
The only time the Mayor is required to report back to the public about MPD outcomes is during the yearly Budget process, which over the years has devolved into a frustrating political minefield. As a result, it is incredibly challenging to have honest and practical discussions about the health and performance of our City’s police department.
This is a systemic problem with policing in Minneapolis due to the current City Charter structure. Too many people have been left out of the conversation about how they are kept safe because of the cloaked, unilateral policymaking, lack of disciplinary oversight over MPD, and black box Police Federation contract negotiations. And the consequences of being left out of this conversation are devastating. We can and must do better.
ACCOUNTABILITY
We agree more than we disagree.
I tracked every caller at the public hearing on 2/18[4]. 48% of callers did not support moving the amendment forward to ballot this November, while 52% did. We saw a similar trend during the budget hearings last year. Hundreds of passionate residents called for more police, and just as many pleaded for a more comprehensive public safety ecosystem that includes, but de-centers, policing.
Here are the things I heard the majority of residents want:
Emergency responses tailored to each situation, such as mental health and drug overdoses.
Strategies to prevent violence, including community-centered trauma response.
Respectful, representative, well-trained, and community-centered law enforcement.
Officer wellness programs.
Significant improvements to the police misconduct disciplinary process. This includes giving the Office of Police Conduct Review more investigatory and decision making power. We all agree that we won’t tolerate another George Floyd tragedy.
We have the opportunity to create this shared vision with the Transforming Public Safety Charter Amendment.
The “14 bosses” claim is an inaccurate depiction of what this new structure would look like. The Fire Department currently has “14 bosses” and that has not impeded them providing truly excellent emergency services. Any Council direction to staff must be approved by a majority in a very public process. The Mayor would still oversee the daily activities of all Charter departments, which would include the Department of Public Safety and therefore, law enforcement. The Mayor retains this executive authority during City emergencies, as well.
More accountability has always been the goal. The difference between the current system and the proposed one is that the new Department of Public Safety would have to report back to the Council on outcomes for its activities, including law enforcement. That means that the public can help to shape the mechanisms for accountability in real-time, the same as other Charter departments. As representatives of our communities, Councilmembers could write legislation that results in better, more just outcomes because of ongoing community input.
Furthermore, policy that better reflects the needs of diverse communities will make the law enforcement profession attractive to a high-quality candidate pool. Councilmembers will be empowered to promote peace officer jobs within our communities, helping the City achieve its law enforcement recruitment diversity goals in tandem with transformative structural change.
I’ve been saying since that fateful day on the stage[5] last year that a new system of public safety will include law enforcement. There will be a careful and measured transition process to a new system that does not disrupt critical City services. We have a pathway forward. All we need is the political will to make it happen.
Let’s work together to pass the Transforming Public Safety Charter Amendment this November. I can see on the horizon our beautiful city, safer for ALL who live and work here.
Footnotes
Minneapolis City Charter - § 7.3. - Police
February 18, 2021 Public Health & Safety Committee public hearing
WCCO - CBS Minnesota - Mpls. City Council Discusses…
Image credit: Associated Press
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