MINNEAPOLIS — Surrounded by members of the Minneapolis City Council and other city and safety leaders, Dr. Cedric Alexander was sworn in as Minneapolis' first Community Safety Commissioner on Monday, Aug. 8.
Mayor Jacob Frey issued an Executive Order giving Alexander authority to direct the Minneapolis community safety departments, including Fire, Police and Emergency Management. This is the second Executive Order under the new government structure and formalizes the commissioner's role in helping to shape Frey's proposed Office of Community Safety.
“Today marks a defining step in pushing for a transformation in how we deliver service in Minneapolis – specifically, in how we approach our safety services,” Mayor Frey said in a statement. “Our communities have called out for safety, and they’ve called out for change. Commissioner Alexander is now answering that call.”
Alexander was nominated for the Commissioner position by Mayor Frey in July of 2022. The role and the new office were proposed as part of a push for police reform after the murder of George Floyd by former MPD officer Derek Chauvin in May 2020.
"We need to move policing forward and rebuild relationships in the community,” Alexander said. “I’m here to help, but it’s going to take all of us in this great city to make Minneapolis a safer place for everyone. We can’t forget the past, but we truly do have to look toward the future."
Together, Frey and Alexander will work to recruit more police officers, hire a permanent police chief for the city and address 911 centers that are short-staffed.
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