Minneapolis City Council Approves New Police Contract In Divided Vote
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- For the first time since 2019, the Minneapolis Police Department has a new contract -- one that provides bonuses for veterans and new recruits, as well as retroactive pay hikes.
The Minneapolis City Council voted Thursday 8-5 in favor of the new contract. Meanwhile, critics argued that the new contract doesn't provide enough accountability.
The new contract covers the years 2020-2022, providing retention and signing bonuses up to $7,000. It also offers retroactive pay raises of 1%, 1.5% and 2.5%.
Council members who voted against the new contract are angry.
"I do not want to vote for a contract like this that would essentially put more blood on everyone of our hands, because we failed to do anything to rein in one of the most dysfunctional police departments in the country," said Robin Wonsley Worlobah, who represents Ward 2.
But supporters of the new contract say that not having disciplinary language in the contract gives the city more flexibility, adding that disciplinary cases have soared during 2020 and 2021.
"There were 72 officers that were disciplined," said Mayor Jacob Frey, who supports the contract. "That is more disciplinary action than the previous five years combined."
Full Press Conference: Mayor Frey Speaks On MPD Contract
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Council President Andrea Jenkins, who represents Ward 8, says the convictions of all four former officers involved in George Floyd's murder shows accountability is on the rise.
"Those officers were held accountable," she said.
At the afternoon news conference, the mayor noted that the contract makes Minneapolis competitive at a time when it needs to be.
"There's a shortage of police officers in Minneapolis, in our metro region, and nationwide," Frey said.
The city is down 300 officers since George Floyd's murder in May of 2020.
The contract is retroactive and will expire at the end of this calendar year. This means that new contract negotiations for the 2023-2024 contract will have to start almost immediately.
The Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis released a statement on the new contract, calling it a "significant step forward."
"With the passage of this contract, the City of Minneapolis now has a greater likelihood of hiring and retaining officers, who might otherwise not choose to work for this city," the statement said. "This is also an opportunity to continue the efforts of rebuilding the relationship between the City Council and the Police Officers Federation. The commitment to rebuild the relationship needs to be from all stakeholders. Today we recognize there is work to do moving forward and we are committed to doing that work for the betterment of the City and communities we serve."