Community Safety
I believe everyone deserves to feel safe and supported in our city, regardless of their background. Minneapolis is in need of a comprehensive community safety system that addresses the root causes of violence, prevents future incidents, and responds with the appropriate response.
As the Chair of the Public Health and Safety Committee, I am proud to have launched our first Committee Work Plan, guiding our initiatives for the term and bringing a more collaborative approach to city hall.
We’ve mandated quarterly public safety reports from the Mayor’s Administration and held them accountable for overdue contract payments and mismanagement, pushed for accountability in MPD, and have established programs to address safety concerns in our community.
What We Did:
Lake Street Safety Center: Led the city to establish this community safety center that is now open at 2228 East Lake Street, next to the Light Rail station, the center provides:
311 Customer Service Representatives
Community Navigators
Crime Prevention Specialist
Lake Street Safety Coordinator
LEAD Minneapolis
BE@School voluntary case management for youth and families
Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches support for substance use disorder
Satellite offices for the Behavior Crisis Response Team, Community City Attorney, and Lake Street Social Workers.
Lake Street Public Safety Coordinator Pilot Program: Authored a budget amendment to create a position focused on engaging residents and businesses in the Lake Street Cultural District, facilitating the implementation of a comprehensive public safety response plan.
Little Earth Community Safety and Outreach Program: Secured funding for the City’s Community Safety Strategies Program. As a result, the Little Earth Protectors in East Phillips will continue to address safety concerns in our community.
East Lake Street Safety and East Franklin Ave Safety Ambassadors: Authored a budget amendment to establish this program across the city's seven Cultural Districts. As a result of this investment, the Lake Street and East Franklin Safety Ambassador Programs will be established in Spring 2025.
Longfellow Neighborhood Safety Initiatives: Authored a budget amendment that will help combat crime and violence in the Longfellow neighborhood. This funding will bring more eyes on the ground to help improve safety conditions for the area.
Midtown Phillips Violence Prevention and Safety Services: Authored a budget amendment that will support programming for culturally relevant outreach programs for youth violence prevention and mentorship to support crime reduction around religious institutions in the Midtown Phillips neighborhood.
Let Everyone Advance With Dignity Program: Authored a budget amendment in 2023 and 2024 to support a comprehensive safety program supporting individuals navigating the legal system, focusing on long-term case management and a harm reduction model specifically for the East Lake Street Corridor.
Public Health Specialist in the Southside Green Zone: Authored a budget amendment to establish a Public Health Specialist in the Health Department that will address needle litter in the area and will include community and contract work.
Safe and Thriving Communities Implementation and Pilot Programs: Authored a budget amendment that will help create new community safety programs in violence prevention, unarmed response, and/or healing and restorative services as outlined in the Safe and Thriving Communities Plan.
Established a Safe and Thriving Communities Work Group: Authored a resolution establishing a work group that will focus on supporting the implementation of the Safe and Thriving Communities Report and Plan, and will provide guidance on the new “Safety Center” model starting with the South Minneapolis Community Safety Center/3rd Precinct.
Neighborhood Safety Department Staff: Authored a budget amendment that will add a full-time contract administrator and a full-time business data analyst to the Neighborhood Safety Department to help the department have more capacity and produce more specific and measurable data for internal operations and public clarity.
South Minneapolis Crime Prevention Specialist Position: Secured funding for the vacant Crime Prevention Specialist role in South Minneapolis, serving the Central, Corcoran, and Powderhorn Park neighborhoods.
2024 Summer Safety Violence Prevention Strategies: Authored a $533,473 budget for violence prevention strategies this summer, addressing community safety groups' concerns about insufficient engagement in the Mayor's summer safety plan and their desire to offer insights.
Enhancing Light Rail and Transit Safety: My office hosted a listening session on transit safety, leading to bi-weekly collaborations with Metro Transit and community stakeholders to address challenges. In 2023, I secured City Council approval for a $1.7 million violence prevention initiative, improving safety in areas like Lake Street and the light rail station. This also resulted in extended service hours from 4:00 PM to 12:00 AM, enhancing community safety and accessibility.
Collaborative Public Safety Strategies for East and Midtown Phillips: Authored a $600,000 budget amendment for a safety program focused on reducing gun violence in the Phillips neighborhoods. My office is working with staff to pilot the Blueprint Approved Institute Program to enhance these efforts in our neighborhoods.
Continued expansion of the BCR Mental Health Response Team: Supported an amendment in order to fund the acquisition of two new vans for the mobile response team.
Minneapolis Auto-Theft Prevention Program: Authored and passed a budget amendment to reduce auto theft by marking catalytic converters, installing anti-theft screws on license plates, and providing residents with car locks, thereby enhancing community safety.
Intergovernmental Relations: Amended the City’s Legislative Agenda to prohibit firearm possession for individuals deemed a significant danger to themselves or others.
Looking Ahead:
911 Mental Health Pilot Initiative: Implement a program that integrates social workers into the 911 call center to provide immediate support for individuals in mental health crises. This approach aims to reduce escalation, harm, and repeat callers by addressing needs at the point of contact.
Non-Injury Accident Response Pilot Program: Implement an initiative that enables the city to conduct on-scene investigations, provide immediate support, and facilitate traffic clearance without a police response. By reallocating these duties to trained non-sworn staff, law enforcement can focus on critical public safety issues, improving overall community safety and response efficiency.
Establish a Gun Violence Prevention and Survivors Workgroup to gather insights from community members and stakeholders. This group will develop strategies to combat gun violence and support survivors, ensuring their voices are included in all initiatives.
Gun Violence Public Health Emergency Initiative: I am leading this initiative to secure funding for impactful programs in communities hardest hit by gun violence. Our goals include identifying severely affected areas and redesigning neighborhoods to improve safety and well-being.
Revitalizing the 9-1-1 Dispatch System: We must enhance our system for efficiency, reliability, and responsiveness, ensuring you can connect with the right professional and receive timely assistance in emergencies.
Victim Support: Empower community members impacted by gun violence, domestic abuse, and sexual assault through targeted programs and funding.