Christopher J. Marier

In Minneapolis, police staffing levels continued to drop in 2023. So did crime.

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by

Christopher Marier
in

Minneapolis is entering 2024 with a grim outlook for its police force, but what that bodes for crime rates remains to be seen.

The number of active officers in the Minneapolis Police Department has fallen to 565 — down from nearly 900 in 2019 — an exodus that is exacerbating what the chief repeatedly warns is an unsustainable long-term calculus for public safety in Minnesota’s largest city.

But while violent crime remains above pre-pandemic levels, it dropped in Minneapolis for the second consecutive year in 2023, more evidence that the latest wave of murders, shootings, and carjackings is receding.

Full story: In Minneapolis, police staffing levels continued to drop in 2023. So did crime.

Comments

2 responses to “In Minneapolis, police staffing levels continued to drop in 2023. So did crime.”

  1. Rebecca Tyson

    While reading through this article I couldn’t help but to wonder what the ethical implications are to the current staffing crisis not only in Minneapolis but across our country. The author mentioned the effects that excessive overtime hours had on the department both physically and financially. You have officers who are overworked and therefore resign leaving the remaining officers to pick up where they left off. Where does this cycle end? How do we break this trend, especially in a place like Minneapolis where violence is known to be relatively prominent? It also makes me wonder how the officers are personally effected. How does working in such an environment effect their performance or drive in the field?

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  2. John Henson

    After reading this article I wonder if the crime has actually dropped. If the police are understaffed wouldn’t that mean the less crimes are being caught and reported? Or could it also be that since the recent actions by the Minneapolis police department have caused the trust in the police to decline so that has kept people from reporting crimes and contacting the police for help?

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