With rates of violent crime on the rise, especially in the Twin Cities, public safety was a top priority for the Minnesota Legislature, even before 22-year-old Minneapolis resident Amir Locke was shot and killed by a member of the Minneapolis Police Department’s SWAT Team.
“I think everyone wants to feel safe going out of their house,” said Rep. John Petersburg, R-Waseca. “I think they’d love to be able to do that in the Twin Cities as well.”
Now, as the 2022 legislative session kicks into full swing, legislators of both parties are laying out divergent visions for public safety reform. With the Legislature still divided after inconclusive 2020 elections, bipartisan consensus will be needed to advance any legislation.
While some bills may be largely geared toward appealing to voters in advance of this fall’s high stakes elections, legislators have managed to come to agreement during the last two sessions on modest police reform proposals.
Common ground
Now, a likely area of consensus seems to be developing around the area of police recruitment and retention. On Feb. 3, Minnesota Senate Republicans laid out a $65 million plan to help law enforcement agencies across the state recruit more officers.
At a joint press conference, Republican senators said that they hoped the legislation could make a dent in the state’s police officer shortage, which they argued had been exacerbated by the “Defund the Police” movement.
“Across the state, we’ve been hearing from law enforcement agencies that are struggling with staff,” said Sen. Jeremy Miller, R-Winona, in a statement. “These losses are a direct result of the ‘Defund the Police’ and anti-police rhetoric that has demonized police officers and left them personally demoralized and their agencies diminished in size and standing.”
Miller pledged that, in addition to investing in current and aspiring police officers, his caucus would show Minnesota’s police officers the “respect they deserve.” Rice County Sheriff Jesse Thomas said that more than anything, respect and support is what officers need.
“It doesn't come down to money; it comes down to support for law enforcement,” Thomas said. “I don't think anybody that went into law enforcement thought that they were doing it for the money.”
Thomas said that, when the department last hired an officer, only 13 applicants applied, whereas, in the past, a similar posting likely would have attracted 60 or more applicants. He attributed this decline in applicants to what he sees as extreme scrutiny faced by officers in recent years.
“In general, there needs to be a bipartisan sentiment of support for law enforcement,” added retiring Faribault Police Chief Andy Bohlen. “That doesn't mean there can't be times that there's reform, but in recent years, it seems to be real quick that law enforcement has been blamed without having all of the facts.”
In Waseca, Police Chief Penny Vought said that, so far, the Department has managed to stay fully staffed. However, with more than 50 departments across the state searching for staff, she worries about how she will fill a vacancy if one arises.
Local proposals
Sen. John Jasinski, R-Faribault, is the chief author of two key proposals within the Senate Republican proposal, which has been branded by its advocates as the “C.O.P.S. Program,” short for “Creating Opportunities in Public Safety.”
Jasinski’s SF2847 would provide $1.5 million in funding for the Pathways to Policing Program, helping agencies across the state reimburse non-traditional candidates for law enforcement for the cost of a training program enabling them to enter law enforcement.
In Northfield, the Northfield Community College Collaborative recently established a partnership with the Northfield Police and Riverland Community College to help local students earn an associate’s degree in Law Enforcement. Northfield Police Chief Mark Elliott said the partnership makes it easier, more convenient and more affordable than ever for local students to take the coursework they need to become officers in the Northfield area.
WINGS (Women in Northfield Giving Support) has also signed onto the initiative. In hopes of helping to bring about a more diverse local police force, WINGS is providing scholarships and financial assistance for women and people of color to complete the course.
Jasinski’s larger bill, SF2964, would provide $20 million in funding for the Workforce Scholarship program, so as to increase enrollment in associate degree programs in law enforcement across the state.
At the Senate Republican press conference introducing the C.O.P.S. program, Jasinski cited the example of retired Waseca Police Officer Arik Matson, who was shot and nearly killed in the line of duty nearly two years ago, in making the case for his legislation.
Jasinski said he was inspired, not only by Matson’s selfless service, but by the strong and overwhelming support shown by Waseca’s residents to Officer Matson and his family. Jasinski said it’s time for state policy to reflect strong public support for law enforcement.
“Minnesotans know police officers risk their lives to keep us safe,” Jasinski said. “We need government policy to reflect that support and we need public officials to join with us and say ‘we support law enforcement.’”
Finding common ground
In addition to Jasinski’s proposals, the C.O.P.S. package also includes legislation by Sen. Justin Eichorn, R-Grand Rapids, that would provide $1,500 per year grants for up to two years for students pursuing law enforcement degrees.
Another key provision, introduced by former Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, R-East Gull Lake, would provide bonuses of up to $10,000 for newly hired police officers, provided they stay at least a year with the department that hired them.
St. Peter Police Chief Matt Grochow expressed strong support for proposals to boost scholarships and grants for students looking to go into law enforcement. Grochow believes that providing financial incentives for officers can work, citing his own experience in St. Peter.
“The recent wage adjustment has helped me immensely with recruitment,” he said. “We were very blessed to have the support of our City Council and city administrator on this.”
In a break from the Legislature’s regular partisan rancor, House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler, DFL-Golden Valley, welcomed the proposals and said that the House DFL would release its own comprehensive package around police officer recruitment and retention.
In a statement, DFL Sens. Karla Bigham, of Cottage Grove, and Aric Putnam, of St. Cloud, indicated that the DFL’s package would likely include hiring bonuses, mortgage benefits for officers living in the communities they serve, and free community college tuition for those who enter the profession.
Although their proposals might differ somewhat, Sen. Nick Frentz, DFL-North Mankato, said that he, along with a large majority of senators on both sides of the aisle, is strongly in favor of additional support for law enforcement recruitment and expects agreement to be reached.
“The dollar amounts may not yet be agreed to, but there will be bipartisan support for it,” he said.
Jasinski said he welcomes potential cooperation with DFLers around legislation, but was quick to argue that he and his party have been strong, consistent supporters of law enforcement, while accusing DFLers of being slower to turn their backs on the “Defund the Police” movement.
“I hope we can find common ground,” he said. “Democrats have switched their tune, after hearing from constituents that law enforcement is very important.”
Countering proposals
In his preliminary budget, Gov. Tim Walz called for student loan relief for newly hired police officers and a new statewide advertising campaign to encourage more Minnesotans to consider a career in law enforcement.
The latter provision has been embraced by Republicans, with Sen. Karin Housley, R-Stillwater, introducing a bill allocating $1 million in funding for a campaign organized by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety and the Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Board.
Housley’s bill was fast tracked on an aggressive schedule, with the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee passing it on Feb. 7, the Finance Committee passing it on Feb. 10, and a full floor vote expected on Feb. 14.
Most DFL Senators voted against the bill in committee. The Finance Committee’s lead DFLer, Sen. John Marty, of Roseville, and the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee’s lead DFLer, Sen. Ron Latz, of St. Louis Park, both say they believe the money could be better spent elsewhere.
Furthermore, Marty argued that the timing of the legislation was “highly insensitive” in the wake of Locke’s death. Instead, he argued the money would be better spent helping to recruit a more diverse workforce to law enforcement.
Notably, the Finance Committee did amend the bill to include a $1 million appropriation to recruit more officers of color. In their $100 million police reform package, House DFLers proposed a new task force that would develop strategies to help departments find new officers, especially those from diverse backgrounds.
The centerpiece of the House DFL’s proposal is $40 million in grants for community organizations focused on violence prevention efforts. Another $22 million would go to community policing programs, enabling departments to hire more officers focused on building relationships in specific neighborhoods.
Miller said that while he is open to violence proposals, the main focus at a time of rising crime should be to get “tough on crime,” by hiring and retaining more officers and lengthening sentences, especially for repeat offenders.
However, Rep. Todd Lippert, DFL-Northfield, said that he believes additional funding for officer recruitment and retention must be coupled with the kinds of investment in programs designed to reduce violence and boost police-community relations as proposed by the DFL.
“Trust has to be rebuilt between law enforcement and our communities, especially communities of color, throughout the state,” he said. “In order for that to happen, we will have to have a conversation about reform as we talk about fully funding public safety.”
