Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis Police Department faces stark officer shortage as it seeks to rebuild public trust
Minneapolis — On a recent Wednesday afternoon, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara is racing to a priority call.
“I try to come out to show the officers I am here to back you up,” O’Hara tells CBS News.
O’Hara says his department is short by more than 200 officers, and has lost 40% of its police force in the last four years.
“It is incredible,” O’Hara said. “It’s not just that we lost 40% of the force, they’ve been facing the highest levels of crime and violence, in some categories, that the city has ever seen.”
Minneapolis is facing a surge in assaults, and nearly three dozen shooting calls a month. Officers have been subject to some mandatory overtime.
Large-scale police staffing shortages aren’t limited to Minneapolis. They are taking place in cities big and small, from coast to coast.
The Philadelphia Police Department is short about 1,170 officers, the agency told CBS News. The Chicago Police Department is short more than 1,140 officers, the department disclosed, while the Los Angeles Police Department is short more than 470 officers.
But in Minneapolis, the hurdle is more than just manpower, it is trust too. Nearly four years after the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, the department has cleaned the house of its top brass.
O’Hara was hired as chief in late 2022 from Newark, New Jersey — where he served as deputy mayor — as the department seeks to change its culture.
But not everyone thinks there’s been enough change yet.
“I don’t think that the department has been transformed by choice,” said Nekima Levy Armstrong, a Minneapolis community activist for nearly two decades. “I think that it’s been transformed by necessity.”
Armstrong says O’Hara has not yet rid the department of all officers who are too physical or too focused on people of color.
“It’s unfortunate that they’re down 40%, but this is of their own making, right? The handwriting was on the wall in regard to the conduct of many Minneapolis police officers,” Armstrong said.
Like many other departments, Minneapolis offers signing bonuses for new recruits. But O’Hara says the problem is deeper than money. In an February editorial in the Star Tribune, he posed the question: “Do we expect too much from police officers?”
“Well, people expect perfection every time, absolutely,” O’Hara told CBS News.
As he struggles to rebuild the force, O’Hara emphasizes to his officers that summer usually means a spike in crime.
“It’s getting warmer, and staffing is definitely a concern,” he told his staff at a recent roll call.
Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis City Council expected to pass resolution pushing for stronger state laws on domestic violence
The Minneapolis City Council wants a change in how the state handles domestic violence cases.
This comes after Allison Lussier was found dead inside her North Loop apartment in 2024 after multiple domestic violence reports were filed.
In a recent report, the Minneapolis city auditor found 22 issues with Lussier’s case.
On Tuesday, the council plans to pass a resolution that calls on state lawmakers to pass Allison’s Law, a bill that would strengthen reporting requirements and police response in domestic violence cases, as well as create a statewide task force focused on investigations and prosecutions.
The resolution would be mostly symbolic, since the legislative session is now over, but would keep attention on domestic violence reform.
Lussier’s family believes police and others didn’t do enough to keep her safe.
An audit released last month shows officers missed opportunities to investigate possible stalking in her case. It also found inconsistent reporting practices throughout the case, including incomplete witness statements, missing victim forms and gaps in documentation.
To this day, no charges have been filed in her death.
The report also criticized how Minneapolis police publicly discussed Lussier’s death, saying comments about her substance abuse history caused harm to her family and the broader Indigenous community.
The audit recommended several changes, including stronger domestic violence protocols.
City Council members say the resolution is meant to show support for victims’ families and push for stronger protections moving forward. They’ll call for the resolution to pass during an afternoon meeting.
Lussier’s family has continued to call for accountability. At a rally last fall, her aunt pointed to what she believes are larger systemic failures.
“We saw the gaps in the system and the issues with Minneapolis police and their failings,” Jana Williams said. “If they can’t protect the citizens of Minneapolis, who can?”
For anonymous, confidential help, people can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224.
A 38-year-old man seriously injured in an attempted auto theft in Minneapolis on Friday has died.
Minneapolis police say the assault happened when the victim saw two people trying to steal his car around 1:35 p.m. on the 5400 block of 43rd Avenue South and confronted them.
After being confronted, the suspects abandoned the car they were trying to steal and ran to the car they had arrived in, police said. As the suspects tried to get away, the victim was either hit by the car or jumped onto the hood.
The suspects were driving erratically, Minneapolis police said, causing the victim to be thrown from the hood of the car and seriously injure his head.
On Sunday, police say the man died from his injuries.
There have been no arrests at this time.
“This is a tragic event that has devastated a family and shocked the community,” said Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara. “The reckless disregard for the value of human life shown in this case is horrifying, and those responsible should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
A man was stabbed at the Fine Line music venue on Sunday night, according to Minneapolis police.
Investigators say that an altercation inside the Fine Line led to the stabbing but no arrests have been made.
The victim was hospitalized with potentially life-threatening injuries, according to police.
Hip Hop artist, Babyfxce E, was performing at the Fine Line at the time of the incident.
-
Detroit, MI14 minutes agoSouthfield police chase ends in fiery crash in Detroit
-
San Francisco, CA26 minutes agoSan Francisco ninth graders will now be measured by a controversial ‘Wheel of Power’ — so how would the city’s leaders fare? We put them to the test. – The Voice of San Francisco
-
Dallas, TX32 minutes ago
Mailbag: Could Valdes-Scantling battle for WR3?
-
Miami, FL38 minutes agoMen arrested for defacing Miami Beach pride bench with antisemitic graffiti, cops say
-
Boston, MA44 minutes agoBoston’s Logan airport opens first-in-nation remote airport terminal
-
Denver, CO50 minutes agoVehicle goes airborne, hits home overnight in Denver: Police
-
Seattle, WA56 minutes agoHidden earthquake faults beneath Seattle may be more dangerous than expected
-
San Diego, CA1 hour agoSecurity guard’s ‘heroic’ actions saved others in San Diego mosque attack, officials say
