According to a report from the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the number of officers in the Minneapolis Police Department has been reduced 10 percent since May and the department “could lose as much as a third of its workforce by the end of the year.” Some on the city council have sought to abolish the police department.
With this development, there has been a corresponding spike in violent crime. Minnesota Public Radio reported that as of August 4 Minneapolis had experienced more than twice as many homicides in 2020 as during the same period in 2019. Local CBS affiliate WCCO reported that through July 26 robberies in 2020 were up 36 percent over the same time period in 2019.
The situation has become so dire, that on July 28 Minneapolis issued a warning to city residents in the 3rd precinct. The missive read,
Robberies and Carjackings have increased in our Precinct. Cell phones, purses, and vehicles are being targeted. Some victims have been maced, dragged, assaulted, and some threatened with a gun…