Massive budget cuts and staffing shortages at the Minneapolis Police Department will turn it into a “one-dimensional” operation focused on responding to 911 calls and embarking on fewer initiatives to prevent crime, its chief warned.
Chief Medaria Arradondo told City Council members Thursday that the pending $14-million cut to what would have been a $193-million operating budget in 2021 will force the department to move personnel to duties dealing with crimes after they have been committed rather than proactive measures to detect and prevent crime.
On top of the budget decrease, the city expects the department to lose nearly 150 full-time employees this year. Arradondo will pull the majority of police officers off other work so they can respond to emergency calls, with a much lower number of employees handling investigations and forensics. Gone are the days of expert detectives who focus on one type of crime, he said. Detectives will instead see a rise in the number and variety of cases they must solve.
Arradondo said the double-jointed problem will have a “human and financial cost” as officers are forced to work overtime and face exhaustion from doing so. The community could face longer wait times to 911 calls if current crime levels continue into next year.
The crisis within the police department comes four months after a white police officer knelt on the neck of an unarmed black man who was in police custody, which led to his death. In the aftermath of George Floyd’s death, residents have called for the department to be completely defunded, while others have urged for more resources and funding to improve the law enforcement agency. The budget will receive a final vote in December.
The New York Police Department has faced similar problems after its City Council chose to cut its budget by $1 billion next year. The NYPD saw a 166% surge in shootings this summer and will face a similar challenge as Minneapolis as budget cuts force it to do less work preventing crime and focus more on responding.
