Minneapolis Office of Community Safety dissolution advances on 9-3 vote

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Minneapolis leaders are now weighing whether to eliminate the Office of Community Safety after a sharp debate at City Hall.

Why the office is under scrutiny

A proposal before the city would wipe out the Office of Community Safety, known as OCS. The office brings police, fire, 911 and mental health response under one umbrella.

Timeline:

Mayor Jacob Frey and and the Minneapolis City Council created OCS in 2022 after a study identified weak coordination across community safety, according to the report. The office is led by a community safety commissioner who makes almost $400,000 a year.

Local perspective:

Supporters said OCS has delivered faster 911 response times, new and expanded community safety programs and other improvements. The directors of 911, emergency management and neighborhood safety said their offices function better because of OCS.

It was also stated at the hearing that other cities, including New York, are following the Minneapolis model with an umbrella public safety department. A.G. Ellison also sent a letter supporting OCS.

Committee fight over the future

Council members argued over whether OCS should be dissolved outright, or whether it should stay in place with changes. The proposed ordinance passed out of committee by a 9-3 vote with one abstention, and the full council is expected to take it up Thursday.

The other side:

Robin Wonsley, a co-author of the proposal, said OCS has failed and should be eliminated. Jamison Whiting said the proposal would strip away the part of city government focused on alternatives to traditional policing.

"We are removing the one piece of work, the one body that specific focus is to move the public safety ecosystem outside of just traditional law enforcement," Whiting said. "What we have without an Office of Community Safety, whose explicit job is to protect and integrate non-police alternatives alongside traditional policing, will inevitably become the dominant force, the police chief. That's what's going to happen."

What we don't know:

It remains unclear what would take over OCS duties if the office is dissolved. At the hearing, it was suggested the mayor's office and staff could handle that work.

"What came through loud and clear is that those who are bringing this proposal both don't understand what it takes to run safety departments of a major city, nor do they have any plan for how these essential services should be delivered under their new proposal," the mayor said.

The Source: FOX 9 reporting from Karen Scullin and a Minneapolis City Council Commitee of the Whole hearing.