 OCS Director of Design and Implementation Amanda Harrington presents a progress update to a group of people at the Nov. 18 Community Safety Center Update Session at Midtown Global Market.
The Office of Community Safety has kicked off a series of Community Safety Center Update Sessions to share progress updates on the South Minneapolis Community Safety Center and Lake Street Safety Center. Community members are invited to learn about services and resources in the centers and how community feedback is being used to shape plans.
More update sessions are now available. Any Minneapolis community member is welcome to attend.
Wards 11 and 12
5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21
42nd Street Event Center, 3410 E. 42nd St.
Ward 6
5-7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 2
Minneapolis American Indian Center, 1530 E. Franklin Ave.
Online
5:30-6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 17
Zoom link coming soon. It will be posted on the City website.
Ward 2
Time and location TBD, January 2025
Learn more on the event flyer in English, Español, Af-Soomaali, Hmoob, and Oromo.
You can learn more on the City website.
 Effective Law Enforcement for All team lead David Douglass speaks during a public meeting on Wednesday at the Sabathani Community Center in south Minneapolis. Photo by Ben Hovland | MPR News
The group that’s overseeing court-ordered reforms of the Minneapolis Police Department says MPD is making progress toward meeting its goals. The city hired Effective Law Enforcement for All — known as ELEFA — to monitor compliance with a state settlement agreement with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights. The group provided updates to the public at meetings Nov. 13 and 14.
Attorney David Douglass leads ELEFA and has spent the last decade overseeing police reforms in New Orleans. At the Sabathani Community Center near George Floyd Square on Nov. 14, Douglass told an audience of around 100 people that things are going well.
“We have not really found any resistance to this process in the department or in the city,” Douglass said. “Everyone knows that change is needed here and everybody wants to see change happen.”
ELEFA has outlined a detailed, four-year timeline for meeting the 144 pages of requirements. By mid March, MPD must have new policies in place that govern the use of force, body camera usage, and interactions with minors. The department must also make “substantial progress toward or complete elimination of” the backlog of internal affairs and civilian complaints against officers.
Read the full story on MPR News website.
The new Lake Street Safety Center is now open at 2228 E. Lake St. next to the METRO Light Rail Lake Street/Midtown Station. The safety center features both City and community-based resources and social services. Community members can walk in five days a week and get help from City 311 customer service staff.
311 staff can help with non-emergency issues and provide information on City services. They can also connect people with the right support service, depending on needs. For more information on the current and future services, as well as their office hours, visit the City website.
The center is open weekdays: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Please note: The Lake Street Safety Center is closed on Thursday, Nov. 21, for a training.
 The new Lake Street Safety Center is located next to the METRO Light Rail Lake Street/Midtown Station. It features both City and community-based resources and social services.
You can host a meeting at the Lake Street Safety Center
Community members can now request to book the conference room to host a meeting. The room comfortably seats 8 people. Wi-fi and a large screen TV with HDMI hook-up is available. Groups must bring their own laptop and any other equipment they need.
You can learn more about how to book the conference room on the City website.
City requested the analysis to review areas of strength and growth; Report shows City is a leader in key response areas of 311 and BCR initiative
City leaders and representatives from the New York University (NYU) School of Law’s Policing Project presented to the Minneapolis City Council’s Public Health and Safety Committee the Community Safety Ecosystem Asset and Gaps Analysis report, one more step toward the creation of a robust community safety ecosystem and a rebuilding of the City’s relationship with the people it serves.
At the Nov. 20 committee meeting, Office of Community Safety (OCS) Director of Design and Implementation Amanda Harrington told the City Council committee members that the report, which will be released publicly in a few weeks, showed that Minneapolis has a strong foundation of programs and personnel, but there are opportunities for improvement as policing and community safety are reimagined in Minneapolis.
This analysis report is a follow-up on the Minneapolis Safe and Thriving Communities Report and Plan provided to the City in July 2023, a long-term vision and future recommendations for continuing to build out an ecosystem for community safety beyond policing. The focus of the analysis is on:
- Improvements to community safety services and their efficiency
- Integration of resources into a comprehensive ecosystem with governance structures that promote coordination, accountability, and transparency.
Recommendations in the report identifies the City’s strengths, such as the City’s use of 311, the significant rate of calls diverted to alternative responses – including the Behavioral Crisis Response (BCR) initiative – and the work and dedication of the existing network of providers within the Twin Cities. The report also identifies opportunities for improvement and the existing barriers for advancing the City’s community safety goals.
Once the report is published within the next few weeks, it will be posted on the OCS webpages. You can read the NYU Policing Project's presentation to council or watch the presentation on the City's YouTube channel. You can also read the full press release.
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The City of Minneapolis Neighborhood Safety Department (NSD) launched a Request for Proposals (RFP) for organizations to become a part of the City's coordinated, citywide violence prevention approach. Part of the 2025 MinneapolUS Strategic Outreach Initiative, NSD will award contracts to qualified non-profit, neighborhood, faith-based or cultural organizations to oversee teams of street-based outreach workers, also known as violence interrupters. Violence interrupters serve their neighborhoods by:
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Detecting potentially violent situations and use informal mediation, non-physical conflict resolution, and interruption expertise to de-escalate before they become violent; and
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Address barriers and reduce risk by providing resources and service referrals to those who need them.
In addition to contracting with service providers, the City is also contracting with organizations to provide technical assistance to awarded MinneapolUS partners. This support will focus on data collection, training, and community engagement to implement effective violence mitigation strategies. The goal is to develop sustainable, evidence-based interventions that effectively respond to community needs.
Find more information and view the full bid package in the City's eSupplier portal. Navigate to "Contracting Opportunities." All proposals must be submitted through the eSupplier portal by 12:00 p.m. on Dec. 4, 2024. Learn how to create an eSupplier account.
 Learn more about MinneapolUS Strategic Outreach Initiative by watching the 57 second video on YouTube.
OCS In the News
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