The Minneapolis Police took their show on the road in April, and this stop was in the Second Precinct – Northeast Minneapolis.
The department does regular internal meetings to discuss crime trends and other police business in the precincts but lately has been bringing some of these meetings to the public. This one was at the historic Minneapolis Brewing Company headquarters on Marshall Street and was attended by about 125 people. Free pizza was available.
The crime statistics were the heart of the meeting, but a Q&A period afterwards brought out perhaps a major reason for the police outreach.
“This will be the greatest comeback story for any law enforcement agency in history,” said Sgt. Garrett Parten, the department’s public information officer. He was quoting Police Chief Brian O’Hara.
The department is authorized 850 personnel, but at the present time employs only 500.
O’Hara himself took the microphone and described the travails of the department since the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis policeman in May 2020. He was asked how the public could help.
“The dedicated ones who chose to stay have gone through hell,” O’Hara said. “Family members, kids, have been threatened. These men and women have been doing more work with less and less resources.
“Officers show up at work only to find that three or four of their colleagues have left. The people who have stayed are hurting, but they have been incredible. If you want to help, give them a word of support, say hello, thank them.”
That emotional conclusion to the meeting followed a report by a dozen or so police officials on the police work in Minneapolis. Called “MSTAT,” the department meets weekly to analyze crime trends and statistics.
The report on Second Precinct was given by Inspector Nicholas Torberg, who leads the precinct. Torberg noted that the precinct has 12.6 square miles, 81,000 residents, 19 neighborhoods and is served by 60 officers.
He said a recent trend is an uptick in stolen auto parts, mainly license plates, which, he said, are often taken to be used on stolen vehicles.
Torberg also commended two officers who confronted a man who was threatening to jump off the Stone Arch Bridge. They managed to stop him and bring him to a place where he got care and treatment.
O’Hara gave the latest statistics for the city in general. Compared to last year, many of the crime statistics have declined or remained the same. Auto thefts, mainly Kias and Hyundais, declined from 2,705 this past year to 1,600 the last twelve months. Gunshot victims in that time span decreased from 84 to 78.
Burglaries and destruction of property were up slightly, as was larceny and theft. Carjackings decreased from 79 to 67.
Commander Emily Olson warned residents that credit card information theft is still a major problem. The thieves, called “skimmers” can replace a credit card reader in a store, mainly in self-checkout areas, with one of their own in 30 seconds, she said. The reader can capture all the information related to your card.
She said sometimes the fake readers look different, or stick out differently than the real card readers.
O’Hara noted that the latest statistics on violent crime showed three “hot spot” areas of gun violence in the city that week. He pointed out that all were south of downtown.
The Minneapolis Police Department posts statistics weekly at www.minneapolismn.gov/resident-services/public-safety/police-public-safety/crime-maps-dashboards.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara spoke during a presentation at The 1893 Grain Belt. (Al Zdon)