Minneapolis will spend $ 6.4 million to hire dozens more police officers after a large number of officers leave the department in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and the protests that followed.
Minnesota police said there are only 638 agents available to work, 200 fewer than in years past, the Star Tribune reported.
Several officers quit, retired, or went on extended medical leave, many due to PTSD claims, after last spring’s riots, including a police station that was burned to the ground and calls to end the police. About 155 officers remain on some form of extended leave, the report said.
In the months since the protests, many residents have urged the city to hire more police, saying they are waiting longer for responses to 911 calls amid a spate of violent crime.
In fact, the additional funding for the police, unanimously approved by the city council on Friday, comes as some city councilors and activist groups push for the department to be dismantled, saying that the police have proven ineffective in reducing crime.
Three councilors have written a proposal to replace the corps with a “public security service” comprising police and other services.
A coalition of community activists called Yes 4 Minneapolis is also working on a similar proposal in the November vote.