Court orders Minneapolis mayor to fully staff police force

A Minnesota judge has ordered the city of Minneapolis to follow its charter and bring its police department up to full staffing levels.

Mayor Jacob Frey has until Jan. 4 to comply with the order and hire additional officers.

The city stands about 100 officers below full staffing levels with 630 officers. Meeting the full level should not cost taxpayers any extra funds, but the Minneapolis' current budget accounts for 731 officers.

Frey did not respond to a request from The Center Square for a comment on the ruling.

The case was first filed by the public-interest based nonprofit firm, the Upper Midwest Law Center, on behalf of four Minneapolis residents. Hennepin County Judge Laura M. Thomas issued the ruling.

Doug Seaton, president of the center, applauded the decision.

“This is an important step toward restoring accountability for Minneapolis residents,” Seaton said. “The City Charter is not optional. The Minnesota Supreme Court already recognized this staffing requirement, and Minneapolis officials have a legal duty to comply. Residents deserve the public safety protections guaranteed under the law.”

Under current city charter, the Minneapolis City Council “must fund a police force of at least 0.0017 employees per resident.” That would be 731 officers.

According to the city, Minneapolis currently has a little more than 630 sworn officers.

The lack of officers isn’t due to a funding shortage, but a personnel issue. The 2026 city’s budget fully-funded the 731 positions, but staffing gaps have been ongoing since 2020.

“The department is also about 300 officers below its pre-COVID staffing levels, underscoring the scale of the city’s public safety staffing crisis,” the center said.

If the city does not quickly come in compliance with the order, the court may consider further action, including fines for neglect of duty. If noncompliance continues, the court has scheduled the next appearance for Aug. 11 and set trial for April 26, 2027.