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May 20, 2026
In this issue:
Dr. Reginald Freeman nominated as next the Minneapolis Fire Chief
 Following a nationwide search, Mayor Jacob Frey announced May 20 the nomination of Dr. Reginald Freeman to serve as the next Chief of the Minneapolis Fire Department. If confirmed by the City Council, Freeman would lead a department with nearly 170 years of service to the people of Minneapolis.
Chief Freeman brings decades of leadership experience in fire service, emergency management, and public safety – leading departments in Oakland, Calif., and Hartford, Conn., among other key roles across the country and internationally. His career has centered on modernizing operations, investing in firefighters, strengthening community trust, and preparing departments to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world.
Dr. Freeman will assume leadership of one of the nation’s most respected fire departments at a critical time for emergency response and public safety innovation. Minneapolis continues to make major investments in firefighter wellness, recruitment and retention, emergency response modernization, and violence prevention efforts across the city.
Learn more about Dr. Freeman and his nomination.
Minneapolis leaders announce task force to address non-fatal shootings
Minneapolis City leaders announced the launch of the Minneapolis Police Department’s (MPD) Firearm Assault Shoot Team (FAST), a specialized investigative unit dedicated to solving non-fatal shooting cases across the city.
Recent crime data reflects a steady decline in the number of non-fatal shooting victims between 2021 through 2025, while also showing a significant improvement in clearance rates last year as more attention was devoted to non-fatal shootings.
These trends indicate a more focused, consistent approach to solving these crimes could be essential to breaking the ongoing cycles of community violence. Through the efforts of FAST, the goal is to interrupt the broader patterns of community violence involving repeat victims and offenders.
FAST, which began operations on March 23, consists of one MPD Lieutenant, seven MPD officers and personnel from the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office and Metro Transit Police with officers from the Bloomington Police Department expected to join the in June. The collaboration reinforces the City’s evolving approach to improving investigative outcomes, strengthening accountability, and enhancing community safety to improve investigative outcomes and build long-term public safety.
Read more about this task force.
Learn more about Dr. Freeman and his nomination.
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Visit the Lake Street Safety Center for support and resources
The Lake Street Safety Center, located at 2228 E. Lake St., provides residents and businesses in the area access to service providers and resources. The Safety Center is open:
- Monday through Thursday
- Friday
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Non-emergency questions and City service requests
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Free Narcan
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Mental health and recovery support
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Assistance with school-related issues
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Property and business owner safety planning
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Harm reduction-based, intensive case management
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Filing a non-emergency police report
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Applications for Metro Transit’s Assistance Program
Stop by during the new weekday hours to learn how the center can support you and your needs.
Learn more about the Lake Street Safety Center.
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National Night Out is Aug. 4
National Night Out is a time for City residents to come together and celebrate with neighbors. Many neighbors in Minneapolis take this opportunity to reconnect, eat and build relationships while kids play and bike freely in the closed street.
Free egistration for the Tuesday, Aug. 4 event is now open. Pro tips:
- Include neighbors in your organizing efforts.
- Register only one event per block (appoint one neighbor to register).
- Consider whether you want your street blocked off to traffic.
- Checking the box for 75% approval is fine if you plan to notify every household of the event.
- Call 311 to request a fire truck, MPD K9, and/or MPD Mounted Patrol.
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Contact a City crime prevention specialist with questions.
Registration closes July 28. Read more about National Night Out and register your block’s event.
National police week honors law enforcement professionals
 Last week marked National Police Week, a time to honor and remember the brave law enforcement professionals who serve and protect our communities each day.
On May 12, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office and the Minneapolis Police Department hosted the annual Hennepin County Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony. Names of every sworn law enforcement member who died in the line of duty while serving in Hennepin County were read, followed by the tolling of a bell in their honor. Law enforcement partners from across Hennepin County, along with family members, friends, coworkers, and community supporters, gathered for this solemn and meaningful ceremony.
We thank everyone who participated and all those who continue to uphold the promise to never forget the sacrifice made by these heroes.
MPD welcomes new cadets and CSOs
Earlier this month, the Minneapolis Police Department held a welcome ceremony for new cadets and community service officers (CSO) as they began their path serving the people of Minneapolis. The new members include 19 cadets, one Minneapolis Park Police cadet, and nine CSOs. The welcoming ceremony emphasizes the Chief O’Hara’s efforts to rebuild the department’s ranks—with police applications increasing by more than 200 percent—and to make it more reflective of the community it serves.
Adding officers to the Minneapolis Police Department is a critical step in strengthening public safety and building trust across the city. They will help strengthen the department’s ability to engage more proactively with the community and better meet the needs of both the department and the city.
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MFD preps for firefighter competition
In preparation for the Midwest Regional and National Firefighter Challenge competitions, several firefighters took part in fitness agility tests and challenges. The Midwest Regional competition takes place in July and is a qualifying event for the national competition in September. In 2025, seven firefighters represented Minneapolis Fire in the National Firefighter Challenge.
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National EMS Week
Emergency Medical Services (EMS) are a critical piece of frontline first responders, saving lives and improving outcomes. During National EMS Week, May 17-23, we recognize and express our gratitude to EMTs and paramedics who provide this essential service to our community.
The City of Minneapolis is committed to helping the local EMS workforce. Through its EMS Pathways Academy, students receive training to learn what it’s like to be an EMT and earn an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certification.
Learn CPR during CPR and AED Awareness Week
Each year, more than 350,000 people experience an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest with about 70% happening in homes. Since fewer than 40% get the urgent help they need before professional help arrives, it’s important to learn CPR.
Do you know how to save a life in a cardiac emergency?
During CPR and AED Awareness Week June 1-7, we highlight the importance of learning CPR and how to use an AED. Immediate CPR and AED use can double or even triple someone’s chance of surviving cardiac arrest.
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Enjoy the outdoors safely this summer
As the weather gets warmer and nicer, many try to find more ways to be outdoors. Remember to safely enjoy the outdoors and all that Minneapolis has to offer during summer!
Backyard fire safety
As the weather gets warmer and nicer, many try to find more ways to be outdoors. Whether sitting around with friends or making s’mores, be prepared whenever you build a backyard fire. Burning wood can affect local air quality by increasing harmful pollutants in the air, which creates health risks for the community.
Follow the rules to keep everyone safe
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Make sure the fire is 25 feet away from a building and has a barrier around it.
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Keep a fire extinguisher and bucket of water or hose nearby.
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Don’t burn when the wind exceeds 10 mph or when the air quality is poor.
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Never burn treated or painted wood, cardboard boxes, trash, or debris because the smoke can be toxic.
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Minneapolis allows outdoor recreational fires from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
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Keep your fires less than 3 feet in diameter and 2 feet high.
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Fires must be supervised by someone 18 or older.
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Watch for signs of heat-related illness
Young children, senior citizens and people who are sick or overweight are most vulnerable to heat-related illnesses during the summer heat. During extreme heat, your body works extra hard to maintain a normal temperature, which can lead to death.
When it’s hot, drink plenty of water, wear loose, lightweight, light-colored clothing, limit outdoor activities and exercise, and spent time in cool centers or in air conditioning. These can help reduce your risk of heat-related illnesses.
Signs of heat exhaustion:
- Heavy sweating
- Paleness
- Muscle cramps
- Fatigue
- Fast or weak pulse, dizziness, headache, fainting, nausea, and vomiting.
- Extremely high body temperature (above 103 degrees F)
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Red, hot and dry skin with no sweat
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Rapid, strong pulse
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Dizziness, confusion or unconsciousness
Find places to cool off
When the weather gets hot, it’s important to stay cool by staying indoors in air-conditioned buildings. Hennepin County maintains an interactive online map of places the public can go to get relief from the heat.
Be safe when near water
National Water Safety Month, recognized in May, is an annual awareness campaign designed to promote best practices in the water, and keep us all safe, secure, and splish-splashing as we round the corner into summer.
Drowning is preventable, yet a leading cause of death among children and those under 30. According to the American Red Cross, drowning rarely looks like splashing or yelling—rather is often silent and can happen in less than a minute, even in just a few inches of water.
Stay safe this summer when on our lakes and rivers or when near water:
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Don’t leave children unattended near water
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In the event of an emergency, reach or throw an object to the person in trouble and tell them to grab on.
Community Safety Ambassador dispatching now available
The City has rolled out a new dispatch service to better connect the community with Community Safety Ambassadors in the East Lake Street and East Franklin Avenue cultural districts. Community members, business owners, and visitors can now call or email dispatch to request support within the Ambassadors’ scope of services, making it easier to get timely, non-emergency help in the corridor.
Community Safety Ambassadors wear bright blue uniforms and provide a friendly, non-law-enforcement presence in the neighborhood.
Safety Ambassadors provide:
- Safety escorts
- Wellness checks in public areas
- Help filing police and 311 reports
- Connections to City resources and services
- Support for businesses
- Basic first aid such as CPR and NARCAN
The new dispatch system helps ensure requests are routed quickly and efficiently, strengthening coordination, and improving access to support for people who live, work, and visit the area. Safety Ambassadors provide services five days per week typically during daylight hours.
To request an Ambassador:
Learn more about Community Safety Ambassadors.
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Ready camp emergency preparedness training
Do you know what to do in an emergency? Attend a free Ready Camp training, held in partnership with Minneapolis Public Schools Community Education, so you can better prepare and recover from an emergencies or disasters.
The free training will help you to:
- Build an emergency kit
- Develop a communication plan
- Notice signs and prepare for severe weather
- Recover from an emergency or disaster
- Learn about homeowner's and renter's insurance
Be prepared for severe weather
Severe weather can happen at any time. Summer weather hazards include severe thunderstorms including damaging winds, tornadoes, large hail, flash flooding and lightning.
It’s important you take time to prepare for severe weather, have emergency plans in place and have multiple ways to get weather alerts.
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311 and 911 – what’s the difference?
Minneapolis 311 provides a single access point for all non-emergency information and service requests. The Minneapolis Emergency Communications Center (MECC), and called 911, connects the public to the City's emergency response teams, sending emergency assistance to more than 1,000 callers every day. Do you know who to call when?
When to call 911
Call 911 when you have an emergency and need Police, Fire, Medical or Behavioral Crisis Response (BCR) to respond to your location.
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For anything that requires emergency services.
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To report issues that require a police officer at the scene (for example: assaults, burglaries, kidnapping, domestic disputes)
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To report a crime that is in progress
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To report suspicious criminal activity that you witness (for example: sounds of shots fired, cries for help, if you see someone carrying items from a house)
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If you need an ambulance or the Fire Department to respond.
Do not call for directions, legal advice, non-emergency information about animal control issues, to find out if someone is in jail or if you do not need police, fire, or an ambulance to respond.
When to call 311
The 311 Department is the primary source of contact for the City for non-emergency information and requests.
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To find out about City services
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Report problems and submit service requests, such as parking violations, fireworks and noise complaints, graffiti, potholes and more.
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Check the status of issues you’ve reported
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Get other city-related information.
Certain non-emergency crimes can also be reported online or by calling 311 if they have not just occurred, such as filing a police report for a theft, lost or damaged property.
Vending machines dispense thousands of Narcan doses
Just over a year ago, the Northside’s first NARCAN® vending machine was installed at Minneapolis Fire Station 14. The machine has dispensed nearly 4,000 doses of NARCAN since its first day of operation, potentially saving lives.
Minneapolis has three NARCAN vending machines across the city. Together they have dispensed more than 11,500 doses of this life-saving medication into our communities. NARCAN (naloxone) can reverse opioid overdoses and save lives. Find free NARCAN at:
The three Minneapolis machines:
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Provide 24-hour access and are located outside
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Contain more than 100 boxes of NARCAN, each holding two doses, and restocked weekly
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Apply for emergency preparedness positions
Have a passion for public health, public wellbeing and emergency preparedness? Apply for one of several open emergency preparedness positions in the Minneapolis Health Department.
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