Citing an increase in violent crime as Minneapolis police ranks shrink, the police union began a radio ad blitz Wednesday that will urge residents to lobby city officials to restore 150 officers lost since 1997.
In that year, after record years for homicides, the force reached a high of 938 sworn officers, said John Delmonico, president of the Minneapolis Federation of Police Officers. "They gave us the resources we needed and we brought crime" down, he said. "We want to keep it there."
Speaking at a news conference, Delmonico said St. Paul officials had been able to make other cuts and add officers while Minneapolis isn't replacing those who retire or leave. He said officers are tired of telling residents that declining staffing is why response times are slower and more patrols aren't made.
City spokeswoman Gail Plewacki noted that Mayor R.T. Rybak's proposed city budget has recommended a police budget increase of about $2.4 million to $101.8 million next year.
And that's while most other city departments are being cut, according to Plewacki. She said Minneapolis has lost federal funds received in the late 1990s for "Clinton Cops," an initiative during President Bill Clinton's administration that aimed to add 100,000 police officers nationwide. The loss has left the city short of money to replace police who leave, but sworn officers haven't been laid off in recent years, officials said.
Delmonico said the union will run short messages on sports and news radio stations this weekend. The spots advocate urging the mayor and council members, who'll vote on the budget Monday, to hire more police by either making nonpolice budget cuts or increasing taxes.
"We are hoping when people speak, politicians will listen," Delmonico said.
Police Department records show that the rates for the violent crimes of robbery, rape, murder and aggravated assault have increased by about 3 percent over a year ago, said Lt. Gregory Reinhardt, commander of Minneapolis' CODEFOR crime-tracking unit. The largest increase was in homicides, up 11 percent from 45 at this time last year to 50 as of Wednesday.
But the rate for all serious crimes -- which adds reported burglary, larceny, arson and car thefts to the four violent crimes -- has dropped by 1.7 percent, led by a large drop in thefts, Reinhardt said.
Delmonico said St. Paul has less violent crime per capita and is adding officers next year. The capital city has 563 officers and will add five more in 2005, said police spokesman Paul Schnell. He said the city also hired Clinton Cops.
FBI crime reports for 2003 show St. Paul had 7.4 violent crimes per 1,000 people compared with 11.6 violent crimes in Minneapolis.
But Minneapolis has more officers per capita, at 2 per 1,000 residents, than St. Paul, which had 1.9 per 1,000.
About a dozen Minneapolis officers have retired or left this year, reducing the force to 788 sworn officers, said Bill Champa of the city's Human Resources Department. The force will drop to about 780 by February and another 10 officers are estimated to leave by the end of 2005, said Deputy Chief Tim Dolan.
Dolan said that if the City Council adopts Rybak's budget recommendation, "we can manage. We are seeing a calls [for service] increase and a slight increase in response time but we can deploy a reasonable number on the street." Dolan said that further cuts anticipated in 2006 would mean either combining some of the city's five police precincts and/or eliminating some police services, such as investigating fewer felony crimes.