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| Home Front: Politix |
| Court orders Minneapolis mayor to fully staff police force |
| 2026-06-28 |
| [JTN] Two can play the lawfare game A Minnesota judge has ordered the city of Minneapolis to follow its charter and bring its police department up to full staffing levels. Mayor Jacob Frey has until Jan. 4 to comply with the order and hire additional officers. The city stands about 100 officers below full staffing levels with 630 officers. Meeting the full level should not cost taxpayers any extra funds, but the Minneapolis' current budget accounts for 731 officers. Frey did not respond to a request from The Center Square for a comment on the ruling. The case was first filed by the public-interest based nonprofit firm, the Upper Midwest Law Center, on behalf of four Minneapolis residents. Hennepin County Judge Laura M. Thomas issued the ruling. Doug Seaton, president of the center, applauded the decision. "This is an important step toward restoring accountability for Minneapolis residents," Seaton said. "The City Charter is not optional. The Minnesota Supreme Court already recognized this staffing requirement, and Minneapolis officials have a legal duty to comply. Residents deserve the public safety protections guaranteed under the law." Under current city charter, the Minneapolis City Council "must fund a police force of at least 0.0017 employees per resident." That would be 731 officers. According to the city, Minneapolis currently has a little more than 630 sworn officers. The lack of officers isn’t due to a funding shortage, but a personnel issue. The 2026 city’s budget fully-funded the 731 positions, but staffing gaps have been ongoing since 2020. "The department is also about 300 officers below its pre-COVID staffing levels, underscoring the scale of the city’s public safety staffing crisis," the center said. If the city does not quickly come in compliance with the order, the court may consider further action, including fines for neglect of duty. If noncompliance continues, the court has scheduled the next appearance for Aug. 11 and set trial for April 26, 2027. Related: Minneapolis: 2026-06-27 Election worker says federal officers confronted her at polls over social media post criticizing ICE Minneapolis: 2026-06-27 Leader of Feeding our Future $250 million fraud scheme ARRESTED in Somalia Minneapolis: 2026-06-17 For information: Elon Musk’s Grok AI tool was used in strikes against Iran, US government reveals Related: Jacob Frey 04/08/2026 Minneapolis considers legalizing adult bathhouses and venues that allow sexual activity Jacob Frey 01/29/2026 Trump warns Minneapolis mayor he's 'playing with fire' after immigration enforcement conversation Jacob Frey 01/25/2026 Border Patrol shoots armed individual in Minneapolis, Fox |
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| Posted by: Jack Guelph2611 2026-06-28 09:20 |
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