There’s no long-term plan, and reinforcements aren’t coming anytime soon, according to the head of the Minneapolis Police Department’s 3rd Precinct said in an email to a business owner who shared that his employees are scared to go to work.
CBS News reports:
Craig Paulson owns Pedego Electric Bikes.
“Couple robberies. Two, three robberies in the area, and some break-ins and a couple of crazy stunts,” Paulson said.
Surveillance video shows a group accused of robbing Chad Stamps’ wife inside her gift shop, 14 Hill, during the lunch hour earlier this month.
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“So they stole our car, stole our wallet, checkbook, everything,” Stamps said.
Stamps says one of the suspects punched someone trying to help her.
There’s a window broken at Town Hall Tap. Someone opened fire inside the Pizza Hut. The employee who was there has now quit. And a car flying down the street crashed into a bus stop and business.
Russell Hrubesky lives and works nearby.
“I’m scared for my coworkers, but it’s worrisome to see people that I care about just kind of in a dangerous area,” Hrubesky said.
Here is the response they received from Inspector Sean McGinty:
As far as a long-term plan I don’t have one. I have lost 30% of my street officers since the end of May. Budget cuts from COVID-19 and an additional 1.5 million from the council in August we have let go 17 CSO’s and canceled a recruit class of 29. A potential Cadet class slated for January of 2021 was also eliminated. I takes about a year to get a police Officer onto the streets with hiring, backgrounds, and field training so reinforcements aren’t coming anytime soon. We are doing everything we can with what we have. I hate to see great businesses like yours and the rest of your corridor being victimized and feeling unsafe. Please let me know if you have any more questions.
Lt. Bob Kroll, president of the Minneapolis Police Officers Federation, gave WCCO this statement:
The Inspector gave an excellent summary. I think the only plan city leadership has is to further decimate its police department. Businesses and people will continue to flee the city. And rightfully so.
Minneapolis City Councilmember Jeremy Schroeder, whose ward covers part of the third precinct, said they have plenty of money and one of the largest budgets of any city. What Schroeder left out is they have some of the worst crime and police aren’t allowed to do their jobs any longer. Their tools were taken away.
There’s no help coming and none of the city council accept the depth of the problem nor will they address it.
Minneapolis voted to defund the police and have social workers go to some calls.
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