Minneapolis council members seek more oversight of off-duty police work
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Some Minneapolis city council members are again raising red flags on off-duty police work — the side gigs officers can take with businesses and bars while off the clock, but in uniform.
The controversial system has previously been called out by the Department of Justice for undermining officer supervision, with hourly rates for officers reaching up to $175 per hour — none of which goes to the city.
“The car you see behind me are the very same ones that officers use while they are engaging in off-duty work for personal profit,” said council member Robin Wonsley in early October, gesturing to a squad car on a downtown Minneapolis street. “And you as taxpayers are the ones who are paying for the gas, as well as the wear and tear on those vehicles, as well as the other resources being used.”
She provided another distinction.
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“I want you to know no other city employee does this,” she said. “City public works workers cannot just simply take city trucks and go fill potholes after hours and get paid in cash for it.”
A committee recently voted to make the mayor’s office report all city costs associated with off-duty work. The committee also approved drafting an ordinance to ensure the city collects fees on that work.
The full council is set to vote Thursday on those measures, authored by Wonsley and council president Elliot Payne, which are intended to boost transparency of off-duty work.
"There is a challenge in tracking the amount of hours that officers are working when they're off duty,” Payne said. “This will allow us to make sure that we're tracking those moments so that we're not overworking those officers, so that they're not in a position to make the kind of fatal mistakes that lead to the death of George Floyd, the death of Justine Ruszczyk, of so many other victims of police violence."
In 2017, then-MPD officer Mohamed Noor shot and killed Justine Ruszczyk. He had just started a 10-hour police shift after working seven hours at a security gig, with little time between. Council member Linea Palmisano spearheaded a 2019 audit that called for greater oversight of the system, but she’s been skeptical of the fees proposal.
"This is just nibbling around the edges, and I'd rather attack off-duty work straight on,” she said. “I'd rather bring this entire entity in-house."
Palmisano pushed for potentially challenging a settlement with the police union from the ‘90s that prevents the city from controlling off-duty work. She also noted police Chief Brian O’Hara has implemented changes for improved monitoring of where and when police are working.
KSTP-TV reported this spring that the Inspections Unit was assigned to closely monitor all off-duty work. Wonsley said MPD also purchased a timekeeping system for off-duty work — but has questions about compliance, while specifics remain unclear.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has also stated the need to change how off-duty work functions. In a statement, a spokesperson for his office said the mayor wants to find a solution with both greater oversight and support for the department.
The police department declined an interview or comment on what's changed.
Shane Zahn, senior director of community safety for the Minneapolis Downtown Improvement District, has worked closely with police. He said he appreciates the visibility of uniformed officers in the area who can pivot to police duties if needed.
“I can tell you, anything helps that gets more public safety out there downtown,” he said.
With the department’s staffing shortage, Zahn said rates are up and he’s noticed less off-duty work. That observation is one that can be found across the city, though some say they just don't want to hire cops after the police killing of George Floyd.
Both the Minneapolis Institute of Art and First Avenue announced in 2020 that they would stop contracting with off-duty police. Some residents say it’s a slow process to rebuilding trust.
At his print shop in the Seward neighborhood, business owner Kevin Brown said he’s been frustrated with the city’s process of reforming off-duty police work. As someone who works with other small businesses, both through Main Street Alliance and the Seward Civic and Commerce Association, Brown said he’s looked into off-duty police work over the years.
He’s heard from East African and other immigrant-owned businesses in the neighborhood who previously said they felt obligated to hire off-duty police officers in order to guarantee a police response when they needed it.
His shop is also a few blocks from the former 3rd precinct building, which burned in the unrest that followed George Floyd’s murder. The vacant lot, and the controversial process of figuring out its future, stands like a symbol of trust that’s yet to be repaired.
"I drive by there two or three times a day. It drives me crazy that I have to look at a fortress covered with razor wire in my neighborhood that's got families walking on the street,” he said. “And there's this ugly monstrosity there."
There's still a long way to go when it comes to trusting the culture of the department that has changed, he said. He said transparent, large-scale changes to off-duty work is an essential part of that.