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New Minneapolis safety commissioner lays out plan to curb summer violence

Statistics show that safety incidents in the City of Minneapolis typically rise during the summer months each year.

MINNEAPOLIS — In a rare interview, the new commissioner of community safety for Minneapolis laid out his strategy to curb the violence in the city as we head into summer.

Todd Barnette is only the second person ever appointed to this position, taking over last October for Cedric Alexander. He oversees five departments, including police and fire, the city’s 911 dispatch center, emergency management and neighborhood safety departments.

"I feel like we're at that point where everyone wants change and everyone wants to see success," said Barnette, who was a Hennepin County judge for nearly 20 years. He prides himself on creating partnerships to help cut down on that crime that has especially plagued Dinkytown as of late.

"If we’re seeing several robberies in a particular area, we’re bringing that law enforcement presence there to shut it down," said Barnette.

He also released a 15-page summer safety strategy on Wednesday with several points from bringing back beat officers walking the streets, including the chief, to deploying officers to hot spots based on data analytics. He's also embedding social workers at police precincts and using civilian investigators for lesser included offenses like property crimes. 

"With the shortage of police officers that we have, I think that planning with data is going to be so helpful for us this summer," said Barnette. 

He says the number of applications are up 50% from last year, but the department is still down some 300 officers. 

"What we need to do now, is with that number, get them here," said Barnette.

Another one of his plans is to continue moving forward with the new community safety center. It will not only only house police, but also social services. Barnette said it plans to open in early 2025, a date he calls aggressive. 

It's not clear yet which social services would be housed there. Presumably, the building could include groups offering mental health support, addiction treatment or violence prevention. The services will be based on input entirely from residents, including surveys and public meetings.

"Trying to get, not the loudest voices, but getting all the voices heard about what people would like to see," said Barnette. "These things are going to take time and we have to stay focused as we move along."

Barnette is also introducing a laundry list of neighborhood programs just for youth, including a Juneteenth event, Minnesota Zoo and biking field trips, as well as a back to school BBQ. You can find a list of all the happenings here. 

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