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Minneapolis City Council considering fees for off-duty police work

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Minneapolis City Council considering fees for off-duty police work


Minneapolis City Council considering fees for off-duty police work

There’s a push for more oversight of the off-duty work of Minneapolis Police Department officers. They’re allowed to accept off-duty assignments under the police union contract with the city.

Some city council members want a clearer picture of how city resources are being used when officers are doing that work. The Minneapolis City Council voted 9 to 2 on Thursday to start considering implementing fees to recoup the cost of city resources being used during off-duty work by officers.

“I’m really glad we’re speaking about this,” said Council Member Jamal Osman, who represents Ward 6. “I think it’s smart to know what the cost of taxpayers’ money is.”

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The council authorized the city attorney to draft an ordinance allowing the city to collect fees for off-duty use of city resources. Members also moved forward with a fee study to look at MPD’s use of vehicles, uniforms and other resources during off-duty work.

Council President Elliot Payne previously said it will allow the city to better track and manage the system.

“Police officers are taking on essentially gig work and they’re pocketing that as direct employment and they’re utilizing city resources,” said Payne during Thursday’s meeting.

Off-duty police work has been under scrutiny for years. Concerns surfaced during the trial of former Minneapolis Police Officer Mohamed Noor, who served prison time for shooting and killing Justin Ruszczyk Damond during an on-duty shift after he worked for hours at a private business.

A 2023 Department of Justice investigation found the jobs pay significantly more than overtime at MPD and “the officer keeps all the compensation, the city gets nothing.” The investigation said “off-duty employment also undermines supervision at MPD”, noting private entities hire the officers.

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“We absolutely need to know who is out there, when they’re out there and where they’re at,” said Council Member Andrea Jenkins, who represents Ward 8.

She told 5 EYEWITTNESS NEWS more oversight of the system is needed but she questions whether a fee system is the right choice. 

“I do think there is some public good that’s being served even if those police officers are off-duty,” said Jenkins. “Having police in uniform even if they’re off duty, per se, serves as a deterrent but also if something does happen, they’re right there.”

During the council meeting, Jenkins questioned how a fee would work if the officer has to respond to a call.

“Today’s action is to work with the City Attorney’s Office to be able to be responsive to those exact considerations,” responded Payne.

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Details, such as who will pay the fee and what the fee will be, are expected to be worked out as the process moves forward. The process of drafting an ordinance will likely take weeks if not months. Further discussion by council members will follow.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara, Office of Community Safety Commissioner Todd Barnette and Mayor Jacob Frey declined to comment following the vote.

The Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis did not respond to KSTP’s requests for comment.



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Minneapolis, MN

Journalist Michele Norris to headline Minneapolis MLK breakfast

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Journalist Michele Norris to headline Minneapolis MLK breakfast


The annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Breakfast is scheduled for Jan. 20 in Minneapolis with a keynote address by journalist and Minnesotan Michele Norris.

The 35th annual breakfast, which host General Mills says is one of the largest in the country, will be held from 8-9:30 a.m. (doors open at 7 a.m., with pre-event programming starting at 7:30 a.m.) at the Minneapolis Convention Center. It’s held every year in support of the United Negro College Fund.

“Every year, the Breakfast brings together nearly 2,500 people – community leaders, elected officials, teachers and students, nonprofit members, corporate employees, and more – all who have a passion and commitment to bringing people together and serving others,” General Mills Communications Manager Mollie Wulff said. “Year after year, we hear that the breakfast is like ‘a big family reunion.’”

The theme of the new year’s event is “One People,” inspired by a message from Dr. King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail: “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

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“The Breakfast is an opportunity for the local community to honor Dr. King and live out his message of unity and serving others,” Wulff said.

Award-winning journalist, radio host and author Michele Norris will speak on topics of race, culture and communication in America. The program will be moderated by Blue Cross Endowed Professor of Health and Racial Equity Founding Director, Center for Antiracism Research for Health Equity, Dr. Rachel Hardeman.

A former NPR journalist, Norris was born in Minneapolis and “encouraged by her parents to read the newspaper and watch the evening news” growing up, according to thehistorymakers.org. She attended Washburn High School and eventually majored in journalism and mass communications at the University of Minnesota.

Norris reported for multiple media outlets including the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune and L.A Times. Because of her work, she has won numerous awards including the University of Minnesota’s Outstanding Achievement Award, the National Association of Black Journalists’ Salute to Excellence Award, Ebony magazine’s Outstanding Women in Marketing & Communications Award and was named one of Essence Magazine’s 25 Most Influential Black Americans.

A current resident of Washington, D.C., Norris is also an MSNBC Senior Contributing Editor; founder of “The Race Card Project,” which asks people globally to share their thoughts and questions about race in six words; host of podcast “Your Mama’s Kitchen“; and author of the New York Times Best Selling book, “Our Hidden Conversations,” which explores uncomfortable conversations surrounding race and identity.

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Sounds of Blackness, a three-time Grammy-winning band that got their start at Macalester College, is scheduled to perform at the event as well. The band’s sound is a blend of jazz, blues, spirituals, rock and roll, hip-hop and soul. Threads Dance Project, with a Choral Reading by VocalEssence Singers of this Age, will also be performing.

Proceeds from the breakfast will go to UNCF Twin Cities, helping under-represented students attend college in honor of King, who graduated from a historically Black college.

“We are grateful for General Mills’ partnership in bringing this cornerstone event to the Twin Cities community every year,” Dr. Michael L. Lomax, president and CEO of UNCF said in the release. “This event helps provide life-changing support for students to help them get to and through college and go after their dreams.”

To purchase tickets and for more event information, visit MLKBreakfast.com.

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Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis firefighters extinguish Minneapolis apartment garage blaze

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Minneapolis firefighters extinguish Minneapolis apartment garage blaze


The Minneapolis Fire Department woke up Christmas morning with work to do after a fire was reported in an apartment basement garage.

The Minneapolis Fire Department announced they were working to extinguish the fire around 5:30 a.m. at an apartment on the 1800 block of LaSalle Avenue.

Firefighters previously reported they were dealing with a car fire. However, it was later determined that the source of the blaze was coming from a mattress and bedroom furniture on fire in the garage.

The basement garage and building are being ventilated, and all residents were able to return to the apartment.

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The cause of the fire is under investigation.



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Minneapolis, MN

Lotto fever hits Minneapolis as Mega Millions jackpot reaches $1 billion

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Lotto fever hits Minneapolis as Mega Millions jackpot reaches  billion


Lotto fever hits Minneapolis as Mega Millions jackpot reaches $1 billion – CBS Minnesota

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The Mega Millions jackpot, valued at $1 billion for the drawing on Christmas Eve, is creating a buzz around Bobby and Steve’s in downtown Minneapolis.

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