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The murder of George Floyd, which sparked protests and mobilizations against racism in the country, and put on the table the dismantling of the Minneapolis Police, has caused a deficit in the number of officers.
Faced with this, the city council on Friday unanimously approved the additional funding requested by the police, who in recent days reported that the department has only 638 officers available to work, about 200 fewer than usual, says The Daily Wire.
An unprecedented number of officers left work or are on extended medical leave following Floyd’s death and the turmoil that followed, including the arson of a police precinct.
Police anticipate having about 674 officers available by the end of the year.
Days before the City Council vote, Mayor Jacob Frey and Police Chief Medaria Arradondo pledged to update the application process for police recruits to include questions about whether they have lived in Minneapolis, if they had degrees in criminology, social work, psychology or counseling, and whether they have volunteered or participated in programs such as the Police Activities League.
Deputy Police Chief Amelia Huffman said they hope the change “will help us feel confident that we’re recruiting the kind of candidates we want right from the start.”
