Public Safety

hundreds of guns off the streets with smart and just public safety policy.

See also: Ethics of public safety: Councilmember Cunningham moves the conversation beyond "Defund the Police" to shared ground and sensible policy: https://cunninghammpls.org/blog/public-safety-primer

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First Term (2018 - Current)

Big Idea

Hundreds of guns are now off the streets due to the targeted crime reduction resources CM Cunningham brought to the Northside.

2017 Campaign promise fulfilled

As promised, CM Cunningham applied the public health approach to public safety to build out comprehensive systems of public safety and has been the Council champion for violence prevention efforts (see accomplishments for data). Councilmember Cunningham works with the 4th Precinct Inspector every day on strategies to address crime in Ward 4.

Accomplishments

Crime and Violence

  • Advocated for ongoing funding to establish the Pathways program for first-time gun offenders as a permanent City service, resulting in hundreds of first-time gun offenders who never reoffend.

  • Expanded Next Step bedside intervention program to North Memorial to intervene in retaliation crimes on the Northside. Next Step has a very high success rate, helping hundreds of victims choose a different path and avoid further community violence.

  • Expanded group violence intervention strategies to hold gang and group members accountable to put down their guns. This includes an offer of housing, job training and other resources as well as a warning that arrest is the next step if they continue to endanger the community.

  • Added an additional class of MPD recruits annually.

  • Expanded shotspotters technology north of the railroad tracks to enhance police intelligence about crime in Ward 4.

  • CM Cunningham overhauled the Conduct on Licensed Premises ordinance to clarify tenant rights and create pathways for landlords and neighbors to hold residents accountable for dangerous or criminal behavior.

  • CM Cunningham wrote a staff direction to create a new Division of Traffic Enforcement.

Policy and Violence Prevention

  • Oversee and support the development and rollout of the new Division of Traffic Enforcement.

  • Led the effort to formalize the Office of Violence Prevention as an official City division, which now oversees many successful initiatives.

  • Investments in community-led strategies and ‘boots on the ground’ agencies doing violence prevention work, resulting in 7,500 people getting support in 2019 alone (2020 numbers forthcoming). 

  • Increased funding to help intervene and protect Northside families experiencing domestic and intimate partner violence through the pandemic and beyond.

  • Added three new case investigators to the Office of Police Conduct Review to increase its capacity to investigate complaints against Minneapolis law enforcement officers.

  • Added a Southeast Asian Community Navigator to promote healthy City and police relations with the Hmong and Southeast Asian community, particularly here in North Minneapolis.

  • Lead author on the2021 Transforming Public Safety Charter Amendment, which proposes to create a Minneapolis Department of Public Safety that includes law enforcement and other public safety services.

Next Term (2022 - 2024)

Big Idea

CM Cunningham will continue working with community members, law enforcement and other City departments to: 1. Combat gun and family violence 2. Root out chronic and dangerous traffic behaviors with smart investments in enforcement and infrastructure.

CM Cunningham will continue working relentlessly to ensure ALL people are safe by transforming public safety through building out a system of public safety that is as diverse as our city’s residents and their needs.

Planned Focus Areas

  • Reduce gun violence

    • Collaborate with 4th Precinct leadership to zero in on and arrest the most dangerous, repeat offenders.

    • Collaborate with community members and the Office of Violence Prevention to increase the reach of programming to stop retaliation and other forms of community violence.

  • Roll out a domestic violence intervention strategy

    • Implement National Network’s Intimate Partner Violence Intervention strategy in Ward 4.

    • A system to identify and respond to domestic abuse during shelter in place orders, such as COVID-19 and other emergencies.

  • Improve road safety

    • Launch a traffic enforcement strategy that includes a comprehensive analysis of Ward 4 road construction, areas where crashes frequently occur, and stretches most prone to dangerous driving. This analysis will result in actionable strategies including:

      • Targeted law enforcement for reckless driving

      • Structural updates to roads

      • Explore one-way street patterns that have effectively reduced traffic accidents in other areas of North Minneapolis

  • Reduce the frequency of properties with chronic criminal and disruptive behaviors

    • Continue to improve Conduct on Licensed Premises (problem property) ordinance by identifying and removing the barriers in City process to more quickly address and resolve these situations.

  • Build out a comprehensive public safety system through the creation of a new Minneapolis Department of Public Safety

    • Address current public safety service gaps and functions by creating Divisions in the new department, including but not limited to: 

      • Road Safety for full implementation of Vision Zero including enforcement

      • Community Solutions to lead collaborative problem-solving efforts for persistent public safety issues

      • Reentry Supports to help our neighbors transitioning out of incarceration

      • And Crisis Response Teams to provide alternative responses to 911 calls for help.