Paula’s Vision for More Officers & Fairer Policing
Since the murder of George Floyd in 2020, policing and public safety have been at the center of civic discussions in Minneapolis – with good reason. I’d like to share my thoughts on the matter and what I would prioritize in terms of safety if elected. Let’s dive in!
Summary: I believe we as a city need to hold multiple truths at once for folks to feel safe: we need more police officers, and we need police reform. I’m hearing both concerns from Ward 7 residents, and in what follows I present some solutions as to how we as a city, and I as a council member, can support each of these efforts.
Combatting Crime
Our crime rates in Minneapolis are still elevated beyond what people should have to endure, and we have had fewer than the number of officers our city charter requires for years now. Crime rates are not symmetrical across the city, which can make it challenging for people from low-crime areas to understand what others are experiencing.
I believe an important solution to this issue is to hire more police officers. I have come to this opinion through both a felt sense of how my community and I have experienced the last years with fewer police officers and also, research supporting the idea that more police officers leads to fewer crimes. In working with the MPD on the East Isles Safety Walking Club, I have come to appreciate the work they do more as I’ve seen people get frustrated with the police from all angles, feeling they don’t do enough to deter crime, or feeling they do too much.
As I wrote in my last email, Daniel Hernandez of Colonial Foods is stepping up to partner with police in their recruitment efforts. We can do this in Ward 7! If elected, I will work to create recruitment partnerships in Ward 7 and throughout the city. We can also fully fund the successful MPD recruitment methods the current council shifted money away from in the 2025 budget.
I believe the city council could create more ordinances in response to the elevated crime, and/or work with our partners at the state to do so. I will meet with members of the MPD in the coming weeks to get their thoughts on what ordinances could work best. To ensure we’re not over-policing communities of color or people with mental-health issues, we need to focus on crimes that do actual harm. We can also push for stronger partnerships between MPD and the county attorney office so that repeat offenders are taken off the streets and either incarcerated or given the mental-health care they need. As we saw in Minneapolis when the US Attorney office stepped up their prosecution of carjackings, enforcement works.
Finally, there are proven crime prevention strategies we need to bring a sense of urgency to, such as: responding to unlit streetlights, changing the built environment of crime hotspots to deter unlawful activity, reducing the number of vacant buildings, providing support to families with juveniles who commit crimes, and creating more mental-health initiatives to provide long-term safety and well-being to our residents.
Police Reform
I’d also like to speak to police and public safety reform efforts here in Minneapolis. The basic idea I’m hearing from residents is, “We will support MPD, but they’ve got to be fair.” As many of us know, both the Minnesota Department of Human Rights and the US Department of Justice found a pattern of discriminatory policing practices in MPD. Let’s look at this moment as an opportunity to right these wrongs.
I believe meaningful reform efforts are underway. The entire org chart of public safety in Minneapolis was overhauled since 2020. To cite some examples of how this has shifted concretely, a meaningful amount of 911 calls is diverted away from police and toward behavioral crisis response teams, and we use violence interrupters partnering with police more often. Let’s take a moment and celebrate these accomplishments.
There are many opportunities for public engagement on police reform. The Minnesota Department of Human Rights lists the two following ways: (1) attending the meetings of the independent monitor, Effective Law Enforcement for All (ELEFA), and (2) sharing your feedback on the updated policies. The next ELEFA meeting is scheduled for some time this spring. If you’re interested in getting policy updates and links to give feedback, you can sign up here.
I spoke with a Ward 7 neighbor about these options, to which he responded, “What if that’s all bureaucratic? We need to see a culture shift.” In response to that concern, I’d like to offer two more direct ways of engaging in the reform process: first, you can attend a monthly meeting of the Community Commission on Police Oversight. This commission was created from the settlement agreement, and MPD is required to listen to their concerns. There is opportunity for public comment, and at the meeting I went to, two members of the public spoke about the need to prosecute the person of interest in the death of Allison Lussier. After the meeting, I inquired with MPD as to where this case is at and am waiting to hear back.
The second involves something I’d like to do as your city council member: I will host regular meetings with the police inspectors in Ward 7 and the Ward 7 communities. At the ELEFA meeting I went to in November, I asked the independent monitors, “What’s the best way for regular citizens to ensure there’s reform?” They responded, “Get to know your police inspectors. Get to know the police officers in your precincts. When ties are strengthened between police and community, the police will have an idea of the concerns of the community, both in terms of safety and reform.” I truly believe the best way to reform is through continued resident engagement – supporting the police to do their best work in making sure all residents feel safe. As your city council member, I will work closely with the police to ensure that we have enough police officers, and that we will have safe policing for all residents of Minneapolis.