Ward 7 community, 

This past week, Uptown neighborhoods in the 5th Police Precinct experienced an alarming uptick in robberies and carjackings, particularly on blocks west of Lyndale to the Lakes and from 35th Street north to Franklin Avenue.  CM Cashman and the Ward 7 team are in communication with MPD’s 5th Precinct Inspector Nelson and Crime Prevention Specialist Jennifer Waisanen about these incidents and larger trends they are seeing in the area. As of this morning, several of the juveniles involved were arrested, but there are still others that haven't been identified.

While we envision neighborhoods where safety is proactively addressed, we recognize that our resources are not yet sufficient and responsive to address systemic and local concerns. As MPD works hard to recover stolen vehicles, identify suspects who are at large, and support the victims of these crimes, there are a number of things that we can do as a community to help keep ourselves and our neighbors safe.  

1. Review the City’s crime prevention and safety tips available on a variety of day-to-day scenarios, including: 

• Using an ATM (automated teller machine)
• Navigating streets and sidewalks on foot
• Riding public transit
• Staying at and leaving home
• Receiving packages
• Owning motor vehicles

2. Consider supporting MPD investigators with evidence collection following an incident by registering your home security cameras with the City of Minneapolis. When a crime happens, the camera registry program helps MPD quickly locate the nearest cameras; learn more and register here.

3. Get to know your neighbors. We should be empowered to collectively activate public spaces in our communities. Here are some of the currently active neighborhood safety walking clubs in the Uptown area: 

• East Isles – I will be joining the Safety Walk on Sunday, February 18 at 10am, meeting at Joanne Levin Triangle Park at 26th Street and Irving Avenue. You can contact Julia Edelman <juliaedelman@gmail.com> and Corey Vest <corey.vest@gmail.com> to learn more about the East Isles safety walking club.
• Lowry Hill -- the next Safety Walk will be on Saturday, February 24th at 10:00 am, meeting at Sebastian Joe’s on Hennepin and Franklin. You can contact Sue Westerman <suewesterman@live.com> to learn more about the Lowry Hill safety walking club.  
• Kenwood – the next Safety walk will be on Sunday March 3 at 3pm at the Kenwood School Playground across from the Kenwood Restaurant. You can contact Lori Mittag <lmittag@gmail.com> to learn more about the Kenwood safety walking club.  

4. Consider forming a Block Club to be formally connected with your designated police precinct’s Crime Prevention Specialist and/or creating a communication thread more informally with those who live on your blocks. Ward 7 includes portions of the 1st, 4th, and 5th Precincts; find out which precinct has jurisdiction over your home, business, or property. 

5. Learn about the new community safety tools that have become available in the last few years to supplement MPD’s work in different scenarios, and consider how you might utilize them in your own neighborhood or Block Club. 

• Violence prevention programs
• Behavioral Crisis Response (BCR) team
• Civilian responders for nighttime parking violations 

6. Report non-emergency issues to 311 to help track incidents and trends in specific areas. Use the following guidelines to determine whether to contact 911 or to report something to 311. If 311 cannot assist, they'll make sure you get routed to the proper resource to report the crime. If you or someone around you are in immediate danger, contact 911.  

To file online with 311, all of the following should be true: 

• This is not an emergency situation.
• You are not reporting the loss or theft of a firearm.
• You are not reporting the actual theft of a vehicle.
• The incident happened within Minneapolis city limits.
• No weapon was used.
• No one was injured.

7. Help to recruit new MPD officers by sharing this opportunity with your network. We know that the number of Minneapolis Police officers is currently below the minimum mandated by the Minneapolis City Charter, causing those serving to be spread too thin. A number of different positions are open within the department including some with an application deadline of February 25th . Interested parties can email police-recruitment@minneapolismn.gov. 

Policy Solutions 

As a City Council we are advancing Public Safety policy through our Public Health and Safety Committee as well as our Administration, Enterprise and Oversight Committee. All members of the Council have now had the opportunity to contribute to shaping the strategies on matters falling under these Committees’ purview. In addition to crime prevention, crisis response, and MPD recruitment, there are a number of initiatives I have submitted to the Public Health and Safety Committee and Administration, Enterprise and Oversight Committees’ work plans in hopes that I can work with my colleagues to move forward this term. 

1. Implement a community safety pilot program for uptown based on the successes of the Downtown Improvement District (DID) ambassador program that leverages specialized community safety approaches and union labor

2. Explore and adopt municipal strategies to prevent auto theft

3. Support the hiring and integration of two new City positions focused on addressing safety issues on public transit and at traffic stations 

4. Support the red light traffic camera bill at the State legislature and help to implement in Minneapolis 

5. Expand the Behavioral Crisis Response (BCR) team to operate 24/7, freeing up MPD officers to focus on violent crime 

6. Support and raise awareness for neighbors wanting to register their private security cameras within MPD’s system 

7. Enforce the Minnesota Department of Human Rights and the United States Department of Justice consent decrees oversight and implementation in partnership with ELEFA 

8. Support an MPD hiring and retention bonus as well as accountability measures in the police union contract to come before the Administration and Enterprise Oversight (AEO) Committee  

From the many phone calls and emails I’ve received from constituents recently, I know how terrifying the recent armed robberies have been for our communities. Please know that you are not alone and that your experiences and perspectives matter as we work together for a safer Minneapolis. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues, with our Office of Community Safety, and with you all in community to improve safety in Ward 7 and across the city. 

Yours in community, 

Councilmember Katie Cashman