Minneapolis City Council To Vote On Plan To Replace Police Department With ‘Public Safety Department’

The Minneapolis City Council is trying, once again, to dismantle the city’s police force, this time voting on a plan to replace the city’s police department with a “public safety department” that would handle emergency calls with a “comprehensive public health approach.”

The Minneapolis City Council was blocked from abolishing the police force last year by the city’s charter commission, which pointed out that the city’s municipal charter requires it to have a law enforcement division. Armed with that knowledge, the “Yes 4 Minneapolis Committee” is pressing a measure that would give voters the option to amend the city’s charter to move towards a “public safety” department.