By The FirstThe Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has released its annual uniform crime report, and Minnesota is breaking records – not the good kind.
According to Fox News, violent crimes are up. So are murders, assaults on police officers, arsons, bias crimes, and motor vehicle thefts.
“Minnesota recorded a 16.6% increase in violent crimes in 2020. There were 185 murders in 2020 in Minnesota compared to 117 in 2019, an increase of 58.1%, the report says. The 2020 number also tops by two the 183 total from 1995, which previously had been the highest total. Also, 75% of the murders in 2020 were committed with a firearm, up from 69% in 2019,” Fox News reports.
Despite these alarming statistics, some Minneapolis officials are supporting a measure to “replace” the police department. They voted 12-1 to approve the following language for a question that will appear on the November ballot:
“Shall the Minneapolis City Charter be amended to strike and replace the Police Department with a Department of Public Safety that employs a comprehensive public health approach, and which would include licensed peace officers (police officers) if necessary, to fulfill its responsibilities for public safety, with the general nature of the amendments being briefly indicated in the explanatory note below, which is made a part of this ballot?”
According to NBC News, “If the measure passes, the public safety department would be led by a commissioner nominated by the mayor and appointed by the city council.”
Good luck with that.
