Why I voted No for More Cops: 3rd Ward Council Member Steve Fletcher
Tuesday, November 17, 2020 at 8:14AMVia email from Council Member Fletcher:
This week, a request was brought by the Police Department for the authorization of $500,000 out of our contingency fund to fund contracts with the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office and/or Metro Transit Police for additional law enforcement services. I voted no on this proposal, and I want to share a little bit more about why.
We do urgently need solutions. There are violent crimes occurring in our community that are not acceptable. The City Council brought in violence intervention experts and passed a staff direction identifying staff resources and outlining a targeted, strategic approach to disrupt the social dynamics that are generating most of the violence. That approach does not lead with law enforcement, but does have a law enforcement component that I support. It is urgent that MPD collaborate and fulfill their role in this violence prevention work.
The Chief’s proposal did not provide for that collaboration, did not emphasize the kind of intelligence-based, targeted strategy we’re calling for, and provided no real alternative strategy. It seeks to add patrol, which in and of itself, is not a strategy to stop crime. We have since learned that Metro Transit Police do not have capacity to provide to MPD, and that MPD has not worked out any details with the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office. It seems pretty unlikely that any additional shifts will materialize before the end of the year, making this vote all the more meaningless.
MPD has also not provided financial transparency that I would request of any department that came to us asking for more money at year’s end, about how they’re managing their $185 million budget. They are projected to be $5.9 million over budget at the end of the year, and we cannot afford to throw endless money at a department with no plan, especially now.
We can act with urgency and still focus on solutions backed by evidence. We all agree on the problem, and we’re all passionate about solving it for our city. I’m a “no” vote on proposals that are designed to address anxiety rather than provide real solutions. We’ve got to do better.
