Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
Already have an account?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?
Crime, Law and Justice
Jon Collins
Minneapolis

Minneapolis City Council pushes back against $15M plan to retain, attract new police hires

Police in uniform raise their right hands.
New police officers raise their hands to take an oath at a Minneapolis Police Academy graduation ceremony at the Minneapolis Convention Center. The Minneapolis City Council’s Budget Committee voted Tuesday to not hear a $15 million plan to offer Minneapolis police officers recruitment and retention bonuses.
Evan Frost | MPR News 2020

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

The Minneapolis City Council’s Budget Committee voted to not hear a plan to offer Minneapolis police officers recruitment and retention bonuses just days after Mayor Jacob Frey unveiled it. The mayor has called for a special meeting Friday for council members to consider the deal again. 

Under the tentative agreement between the city and the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis, existing officers will get $18,000 and new hires will get $15,000 over three years at an estimated cost of $15.3 million. In exchange, the police union agreed to allow the chief to assign officers to vacant shifts more quickly. 

Budget Committee Chair Emily Koski offered a sharp rebuke of the administration during the meeting, saying the mayor had ignored her requests to collaborate with the council to find a use for the one-time state public safety aid. 

Koski said she does support the police, and supports higher wages for them, but said data shows incentives aren’t an effective use of taxpayer money. She said the mayor uses low police staffing levels as a justification. 

“‘Critically low staffing levels’ has become a catchphrase to use when they want to instill fear in us and the public, to push us to make rash decisions and to push us to make decisions based on emotions rather than the facts,” Koski said. “We keep getting backed into a corner with false narratives thrown in our faces — and I’m tired of it.”

Council Member LaTrisha Vetaw said she’s been aware of the terms of the agreement for some time. She said the council isn’t “taking seriously the loss of officers.” 

“This is a bad look for our city, we are losing officers at a rapid pace,” Vetaw said. “Guess what? Incentives boost morale. Incentives make folks want to jump on board to get a little bit extra money. Incentives help overall the organization.” 

The committee voted against adding the plan to the budget committee agenda 7-5. 

The mayor wants council members to vote on the plan at a special meeting Friday. In a statement, Frey said refusing to even add the agreement to the committee’s agenda denied “an opportunity for policymakers to vote on a crucial community safety proposal.”

“I’m calling this special meeting because Minneapolis residents rightly expect us to explore every option to attract and retain officers and reform the police department,” Frey said. 

Chief Brian O’Hara said in a statement that the committee’s decision is deeply disappointing, and that the attrition experienced by the department isn’t sustainable. 

“Enough talk,” O’Hara said. “Now is the time for action.”

The agreement was made public at a press conference last Friday, where Frey and O’Hara argued that the incentives were necessary to slow the “exodus” of officers from the department. The current number of active officers not on leave is 186 short of the 731 officers required by the city’s charter, according to the department.