MINNEAPOLIS— Minneapolis leaders hope more money will help rebuild the ranks of a depleted police force.
The police union voted to approve a new contract with the city that includes a nearly 22% pay increase over three years.
The contract still needs to be approved by the city council.
“It’s hard to be a police officer,” said Mayor Jacob Frey. “In Minneapolis, we’re going to make sure that that wage is competitive and at or near the top of wage rates across the region.”
Police Chief Brian O’Hara says the pay increases would help with much-needed recruitment.
“Our staffing levels are so incredibly low, 40% lower than what was normal here,” he said.
O’Hara says it’s even more important to approve the contract afterward tragic shooting of officer Jamal Mitchell last week.
“We need more people like Jamal,” O’Hara said. “If we want to get more people like Jamal, if we have any chance of doing so, we have to compensate them and get this contract ratified.”
The chief confirmed that Mitchell was working overtime and patrolling alone before the shooting, but he strongly denied that played a role in what happened.
“It’s very frustrating to me that people are putting out that ridiculous idea,” O’Hara said. ‘They don’t know what they’re talking about. If there had been another officer with Jamal, we might have had twice as much tragedy.”
Frey says the contract also gives the chief more decision-making power in areas such as staffing and reforms.
“There’s nothing more important than that,” Frey said. “That allows him to lead a police department, make necessary changes and at the same time hold people accountable.”
O’Hara says the contract is not the place for reform; it gives him the opportunity to act faster.
“My job is to reform the Minneapolis Police Department,” he said. “The mayor, the city council and the residents can address me about this.”
Sergeant Sherral Schmidt, the union’s president, said in a statement:
“We are grateful to have reached a tentative agreement with the city that has been ratified by its members. We now await council approval and hope that the council will see value in this contract for officer hiring and retention, especially given the clear and present reality that this is a dangerous profession.”
David Schuman
