Judge orders Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey to comply with police staffing level mandate
A judge has ordered Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey to comply with a mandate in the Minneapolis City Charter that requires him to employ a minimum number of police officers for the community, according to court documents filed Thursday.
The Upper Midwest Law Center filed a lawsuit on behalf of two Minneapolis taxpayers and two people who own property in the city in March that claimed the city, including Frey, had failed to hire enough police officers. The petition points back to a 2022 decision by the state supreme court.
That decision upheld part of a district court ruling finding that the "mayor has a clear legal duty under the Minneapolis City Charter to employ at least 731 sworn police officers".
According the a court order, the lawsuit demonstrates that Frey has "violated and continues to violate his duty" in the section of the charter regarding the employment of police officers in the city.
The court documents filed Thursday said the Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training counted 649 officers with the Minneapolis Police Department, which is 82 less than 731.
Frey must comply with the mandate by Jan. 4, 2027, the court document said. If he does not, a trial will be held on April 26, 2027, "or on a date that is mutually agreeable to the parties" where he could be found in contempt.
The city last had more than 731 officers in 2020, according to a city spokesperson. By the spring of 2024, former Police Chief Brian O'Hara said the department had lost 40% of its force.
The city boosted starting salaries to $90,000 in 2024 with incremental increases in the time since. The city has also poured millions into recruitment campaigns.
"This is an important step toward restoring accountability for Minneapolis residents," Doug Seaton, president of the Upper Midwest Law Center, said in a written statement.
Rachel Paulose, managing attorney for the Upper Midwest Law Center in the case, said that she and her team are excited, but not surprised, by the judge's decision.
"For the first time in four years, a judge said there will be consequences for the City of Minneapolis if it continues to violate the law," Paulose said.
WCCO asked Paulose if the Upper Midwest Law Center must show alternative viable solutions to improving police staffing that the city has not applied yet. She said that it is not incumbent on the petitioners nor the judge to figure that out for the city.
"It's actually incumbent on the mayor to do his job," Paulose said.
WCCO reached out to the mayor's office about Thursday's order. His press secretary said Frey would not be doing media on the topic and referred WCCO to a spokesperson for the Minneapolis Office of Community Safety, who said:
"There are few police departments working harder to recruit and hire officers than MPD. We've brought on more than 150 officers since the beginning of 2025, applications are up more than 200% since 2023, and we've built the most diverse police force in Minneapolis history. You don't strengthen a police department through lawsuits. You do it through recruitment, hiring, and retention. That's exactly what we're doing, and it's working."
Joe Tamburino, a legal analyst and criminal defense attorney, said the decision from Judge Laura Thomas is significant.
"You have to understand how extraordinary this is," Tamburino said. "This is the rare situation where a judge actually says look, you have to answer for this."
He's referring to the idea that many other judges may have delayed imposing a legal deadline indefinitely. In this case, he expects that if the city is still below 731 sworn officers by the Jan. 4 deadline, Frey will need to argue that the city has exhausted all possible options to bring in new recruits.
"One of the problems that the mayor is gonna have though is, it's been a long time," Tamburino said.
WCCO asked what kind of impact city leadership believes O'Hara's resignation could have on recruitment efforts. The spokesperson for the Office of Community Safety's did not immediately respond.
