By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
• A lawsuit filed in Minneapolis alleges the city is violating a Minnesota Supreme Court ruling and its charter by failing to maintain a required minimum number of police officers.
• The 2021 charter mandate requires Minneapolis to employ at least 731 sworn officers based on population, according to the suit.
• The lawsuit was filed March 18 by a nonprofit legal firm on behalf of four residents, who say the officer shortage undermines public safety.
• City officials said recruitment efforts are underway and disputed claims the charter requirement has been ignored.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN — A lawsuit filed March 18 alleges the City of Minneapolis is violating a Minnesota Supreme Court decision and its own charter by failing to maintain a mandated minimum number of police officers, according to court filings.
The complaint, filed by the Upper Midwest Law Center on behalf of four residents, contends that Minneapolis must employ at least 731 sworn police officers as required by the city’s charter and a 2021 decision by the state’s highest court.
The suit says the Minneapolis Police Department has fallen short of the staffing threshold in recent years amid recruitment and retention challenges and that current staffing levels violate the charter’s numerical requirement.
City officials responded that recruitment efforts have produced significant progress, that violent crime trends remain manageable and that statements tying staffing to charter noncompliance are inaccurate, according to the city’s statement.
The legal action seeks enforcement of the charter mandate through the courts, with the plaintiffs saying residents are entitled to the protections established by law.