 The Lake Street Safety Center, located at 2228 E. Lake St., was officially opened Nov. 4. As part of the development of a Minneapolis safety ecosystem, the safety center features a combination of resources and services related to crime prevention, response, and restoration.
Minneapolis community members can now access services and resources in the Lake Street Safety Center at 2228 E. Lake St., next to the Metro Light Rail’s Lake Street Station. The safety center will focus on serving the neighborhood of E. Lake Street between I-35W and Hiawatha Avenue.
City leaders celebrated the safety center's grand opening on Nov. 4, marking a celebratory milestone in the building of a Minneapolis community safety ecosystem. As part of the City's vision for the safety ecosystem, the new safety center concept features a combination of community safety resources related to crime prevention, response, and restoration. These resources are co-located in one space to provide better access and service to the residents of Minneapolis’ East Lake Street corridor.
 Office of Community Safety Commissioner Todd Barnette speaks at the Lake Street Safety Center's ceremonial grand opening press conference on Nov. 4.
The Lake Street Safety Center will house a selection of City resources and community service providers that includes community navigators, crime prevention specialists, and social workers while being regularly staffed by representatives from 311.
The center will be open weekdays: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., and Tuesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. While 311 customer service staff are present five days per week, all other partners will be in the center at varying hours and days. For more information on the services and office hours, visit the Lake Street Safety Center webpage on the City website.
The CSO Welcoming Ceremony honored current community service officers, as well as welcome new CSOs to the program
 The Minneapolis Police Department welcomed new and honored current community service officers (CSO) at a CSO Welcoming Ceremony held Oct. 28 at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in South Minneapolis. Chief Brian O'Hara expressed his profound gratitude to the CSO group and commended them for choosing to be a part of MPD.
The Minneapolis Police Department celebrated a fresh class of community service officers (CSOs) at a CSO Welcoming Ceremony on Oct. 28 at Jesuit Rey Cristo High School. In addition, current CSOs and interns were recognized at the ceremony. In total, 21 CSOs and interns are progressing on their pathway to a full-time law enforcement career with the Minneapolis Police Department.
The MPD CSO program has been a strong recruitment strategy to attract dedicated and diverse new officers to the department. Ranging from recent high school graduates to young adults who are passionate about serving the Minneapolis community, many individuals who are part of this CSO class speak multiple languages, have family members who have served or currently serve on the force, and express their desire to specifically serve the City of Minneapolis.
CSOs are uniformed, non-sworn positions that offer support to police officers by assisting at call centers, taking reports, serve at community outreach and recruitment events, among other daily duties. The unique aspect about the CSO program is that CSOs simultaneously attend school to earn their degree in law enforcement, where tuition and supplies are fully funded by the department. To become a sworn, licensed police officer, CSOs then must graduate from the Police Academy and complete Minnesota’s POST (Peace Officer Standards and Testing) exam.
New CSOs will now receive training at the CSO Academy for four weeks, where they will learn from a combination of classroom training and simulations. After completion of the CSO Academy, CSOs will begin their work in the field supporting police officers and connecting with community members.
Learn more about the pathway to becoming a CSO on the City website.
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Minneapolis and Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office emergency communications and dispatch centers launched new technology on Oct. 31 that will use a computer system to automatically call back abandoned 9-1-1 calls. This will allow call-takers in the dispatch centers to continue to focus on processing priority emergency requests, better ensuring those needing help receive it as soon as possible.
Both the City and county centers will use Automated Abandoned Call (AAC) system, which is a software that improves the centers’ ability to quickly answer and dispatch resources by reducing the call takers need to take the time to manually call back abandoned calls. Instead, the dispatch centers utilize the automated system where those answering the redial may continue a request for emergency services or acknowledge that an emergency response is unnecessary. The software alleviates some of the workload on call takers by reducing the need to manually make contact with each abandoned call, but still ensures that every call made to 9-1-1 is answered and vetted.
“At a time when dispatch centers across the country are facing critical staffing shortages, this new technology is helping us to increase our efficiency as we serve our Minneapolis community," said Minneapolis Emergency Communications Center (MECC) and 911 Director Joni Hodne. "Each passing moment is vitally important for our call takers to respond to emergency calls. This innovation will allow us to best meet the needs of our residents when they need us most."
The MECC, which only takes calls from within Minneapolis, received approximately 50,000 calls last year where a caller hung up in less than 30 seconds before a 911 call taker answered. For reference, each MECC call taker answers about 20,000 calls per year.
Residents with questions or concerns about the operation of the system and how it could impact them should contact their respective dispatch centers them by visiting www.minneapolismn.gov/government/departments/911 or www.hennepinsheriff.org
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 Minneapolis Police Department officers salute at Blue Mass to honor first responders who have died in the line of duty.
Honoring fallen Minnesota first responders and law enforcement officers, the Minneapolis Police Department hosted its first 'Blue Mass' event on Oct. 30 at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis. Federal, state and local first responders from across Minnesota joined together to recognize those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.
An idea brought forth by Minneapolis council member Michael Rainville, the Blue Mass served as an opportunity for first responders and supporters of all faiths to come together and pay their respects to fallen officers. The mass was also held to recognize the sacrifice and dedication of current first responders who selflessly serve in the public safety field.
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 Effective Law Enforcement For All (ELEFA), the independent evaluator of the Minnesota Department of Human Rights settlement agreement, will hold its first public information sessions Nov. 13 and 14. Per the settlement agreement, ELEFA is required to hold these meetings for the community. The meetings will be facilitated by ELEFA and not the City of Minneapolis.
During the meetings, ELEFA will update the community on the City of Minneapolis and Minneapolis Police Department’s path to meeting the requirements of the settlement agreement. They will present an overview of their role in the settlement agreement, describe requirements and how compliance is checked, and provide implementation updates related to MPD policies and training.
Each session will follow the same agenda and format.
South Minneapolis public information session
6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 13
Sabathani Community Center, 310 E. 38th St., Suite 120
North Minneapolis public information session
6-8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14
North Community High School, 1500 James Ave.
Learn more about the Nov. 13 and 14 information sessions on this flyer.
You can also learn more about the evaluator and its work on this three-page flyer.
 Come get a progress update Nov. 18 on the South Minneapolis Community Safety Center and Lake Street Safety Center. Kicking off a series of new Community Safety Center Update Sessions, residents and stakeholders are invited to learn more about the services and resources in the centers and how your feedback is being used to shape plans.
City staff will be available for Q&A after the presentation. Community members can also learn more about other safety programs in the city. Learn more on the event flyer.
Community safety centers update
5-7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 18
Midtown Global Market, 920 E. Lake St.
This session is hosted in partnership with wards 8 and 9. Any Minneapolis community member is welcome to attend.
More community engagement update sessions will be scheduled in the coming weeks. Find more information on the City website.
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