Some Minneapolis council members sour on city's public safety office
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Minneapolis community safety commissioner Todd Barnette (left) speaks at an April press conference with police chief Brian O'Hara. Photo: Kyle Stokes/Axios
Some City Council allies of Mayor Jacob Frey recently floated an idea to resolve a standoff over who should serve as Minneapolis' top public safety official: Hire no one for the role, at least for now.
Why it matters: It's a sign of how deeply frustrated some city leaders have grown with the Office of Community Safety (OCS) — the agency meant to unify the city after a divisive 2021 police ballot measure.
The big picture: The city created OCS in 2022 to lead MPD reforms and elevate alternatives to traditional policing.
- But OCS has since drawn criticism from across the council's ideological spectrum — and could soon be looking for its third leader in four years.
State of play: Since April, Frey has been using veto powers to keep current community safety commissioner Todd Barnette's reconfirmation hopes alive.
- But Barnette — who oversees the police, fire, 911, emergency management and neighborhood safety departments — needs council support to keep his current title past Aug. 2. Last Thursday, council members voted again, 7-6, to oust him.
Driving the news: After the vote, Council Member LaTrisha Vetaw proposed ending the doom loop by pausing the search for a new commissioner to conduct an evaluation of OCS.
- Council Member Elizabeth Schaffer agreed, as did Michael Rainville, who wondered aloud "if there should be a commissioner."
Flashback: These Frey allies were mirroring the recent remarks of a Frey critic.
- In April, Council Member Robin Wonsley called OCS a failed experiment, suggesting the city could reinvest its $2 million budget directly into public safety services.
The intrigue: Last week, Wonsley suggested opening a national search for a new commissioner and moving on from Barnette.
- But after Vetaw's comments, Wonsley told Axios that "if there is shared understanding amongst council in no longer investing in what has shown to be a failed initiative, it opens the door of other pathways."
Friction points: Critics say OCS has failed to keep MPD's budget in check, overseen several high-profile police controversies and mismanaged "violence interrupter" contracts.
Yes, but: Defenders have said OCS or Barnette can't be blamed for cost overruns stemming from crises, including the ICE surge and Annunciation shooting.
- Barnette told Axios the city couldn't have responded to these crises "nearly as effectively without the Office of Community Safety," crediting OCS for improvements in interagency communication and decreases in violent crime numbers.
What they're saying: "Eliminating that progress feels disconnected from what residents are actually asking for from their city government," Frey told Axios in a statement.
- City Council swing vote Jamison Whiting believes the solution lies in giving OCS more authority, saying the commissioner role lacks the "teeth" to hold agency chiefs accountable.
- "Let's actually go in and fix it, rather than just putting our hands up and saying, 'Well, let's not do it anymore,'" he told Axios.
What we're watching: Barnette's rejection was seen as a bad omen for police chief Brian O'Hara, who faces his own council confirmation hearings in a few weeks.
What's next: After Aug. 2, Frey must appoint someone to lead OCS on an interim basis — though that person could be Barnette, according to the city attorney's office.
- That means the OCS confirmation impasse between Frey and the council could drag on.