Minneapolis launches $1M recruitment campaign for MPD
The city of Minneapolis is launching a $1 million dollar campaign to recruit Minneapolis police officers and 911 dispatchers.
The Minneapolis Police Department currently has just 563 officers as of March 4, according to the city. That’s down from more than 800 in 2019 and lower than the 731 officers required by the city’s charter.
The new campaign is called “Imagine Yourself.” It’s targeting younger people and those living within 300 miles of Minneapolis. It will include a new website, a recruitment video and social media posts in multiple languages.
Minneapolis police Chief Brian O’Hara said he understands why some members of the public are skeptical about the department, but that this is an opportunity for prospective police officers to join a department that’s in the midst of substantial change.
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“It’s a chance to make a real difference in a police department, in a city and in a community that will define the future of policing in our country,” O’Hara said. “I truly believe that Minneapolis will be the greatest law enforcement comeback story in America.”
O’Hara said city recruiters have already reached out to prospective officers with roots in the city and from backgrounds that are underrepresented in the department, including through a collaboration with historically Black colleges and universities and career fairs in the city’s designated cultural corridors.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said the recruitment campaign is about filling the critical roles of police officers and 911 dispatchers in order to provide reliable service to city residents. He said police officers are also expected to get a bump in pay in their new union contract, which is currently being negotiated with the city.
“There are great reasons to become a police officer beyond the need to help your community,” Frey said. “In Minneapolis Police Department specifically, there are opportunities for advancement, you will gain a skill set you will never get in any other city in the state, whether that’s working narcotics or working to prevent violent crime — you’ll be doing more than just simply pulling over a car that’s going 20 miles per hour over.”
Minneapolis 911 director Joni Hodne said they’re looking to hire up to 15 new 911 dispatchers. They’re currently operating about 20 percent under budgeted staffing levels, Hodne said.
The multi-year campaign is funded by part of $7 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds approved in 2022 for recruitment, retention and hiring.