MINNEAPOLIS — U.S. Senator Tina Smith says she will vote "no" on the ballot question that would replace the Minneapolis Police Department in the city's charter with a new public safety department.
Smith said in a Tuesday news release that she has "wrestled" with the decision, but ultimately believes that the amendment to the city's charter "does not address the core public safety challenges we face, and may well move us in the wrong direction."
Smith's announcement comes just two weeks from Election Day. Prominent Democrats including Gov. Tim Walz and Sen. Amy Klobuchar have already criticized the proposed amendment. Others, like U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, have voiced their support.
While Smith said she agrees with much of the amendment's content, there's one major issue for her: the Department of Public Safety would report to both the Mayor and the City Council.
"My own experience working in City Hall tells me that this change will exacerbate what is a deeply flawed city governance structure, where accountability, authority and lines of responsibility between the Mayor and City Council are diffused and dysfunctional," Smith wrote in the release.
The ballot question has survived extensive last-minute legal battles, with the Minnesota Supreme Court eventually ruling to allow recently revised language already printed on ballots to remain as is.
A September KARE 11/MPR News/Star Tribune/FRONTLINE Minnesota Poll found that 49% of Minneapolis voters support replacing MPD with a new policing model that may include officers, but also focus on public health and give the city council more authority over public safety. Another 41% of voters oppose the idea and 10% are undecided.
Smith acknowledged that Minneapolis has become the center of nationwide discussions on police brutality and reform after the murder of George Floyd in 2020. She said voters will need to decide themselves on how to move forward.
"The status quo is unacceptable," she wrote.
The full ballot question is below.
Department of Public Safety
Shall the Minneapolis City Charter be amended to remove the Police Department and replace it with a Department of Public Safety that employs a comprehensive public health approach to the delivery of functions by the Department of Public Safety, with those specific functions to be determined by the Mayor and City Council by ordinance; which will not be subject to exclusive mayoral power over its establishment, maintenance, and command; and which could include licensed peace officers (police officers), if necessary, to fulfill its responsibilities for public safety, with the general nature of the amendments being briefly indicated in the explanatory note below, which is made a part of this ballot?
YES ______
NO ______
Explanatory Note:
This amendment would create a Department of Public Safety combining public safety functions through a comprehensive public health approach to be determined by the Mayor and Council. The department would be led by a Commissioner nominated by the Mayor and appointed by the Council. The Police Department, and its chief, would be removed from the City Charter. The Public Safety Department could include police officers, but the minimum funding requirement would be eliminated.
You can find the full proposed amendment here.
You can watch a full Oct. 12 community debate on the proposed amendment below and on KARE 11's YouTube page.