Minneapolis to consider bringing in outside police officers amid shortage

Minneapolis officials are considering bringing in officers from other jurisdictions to help the city's Police Department as they face a wave of violent crime and an officer shortage.

If the mayor and City Council approve the plan, officers from the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office and Metro Transit Police would temporarily work with the city, primarily helping to respond to violent 911 calls.

"We're not gonna be having these people out taking bicycle theft reports. These are going to be people out combating crime issues," said John Elder, a spokesman for Minneapolis police.

The officers would form Joint Enforcement Teams, known as JETs. Elder said the city has relied on such teams in the past, particularly to help in areas where violence was spiking.

The city would reimburse the Sheriff's Office and Metro Transit Police for the officers they supply. It estimates the cost at just shy of $497,000, money that would be taken out of the city's contingency fund.

The initial proposal calls for the teams to form Nov. 15 and run through the end of the year.

Council Member Linea Palmisano, who is pushing for the supplementary patrols, said she also hopes they'll be able to continue them in the 2021 budget, which will be finalized next month.

"We're barely able to cover the shifts that we have," Palmisano said. "We really can't allocate additional police officers for on-duty shif... (Read more)

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