Minneapolis council to hear proposal to abolish community safety office
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Minneapolis City Council will hold a public hearing on 27 October on a proposal to eliminate the Office of Community Safety, with councillors arguing it has not delivered meaningful results. Mayor Jacob Frey, who established the initiative, says removing it without a plan could put mental health response, violence prevention and police reform services at risk.
Created in 2022 after George Floyd was killed by police, the office has overseen police, fire and 911 services since 2023. Commissioner Toddrick Barnette, the city’s highest-paid employee at nearly $350,000 a year, plans to step down in December after the council rejected his renomination. Critics have pointed to budget overruns and concerns about his presence and communication, while one councillor praised his connection with residents.
- Council will consider scrapping Minneapolis’s Office of Community Safety.
- A public hearing is scheduled for 27 October.
- The mayor warns services could be at risk without a plan.
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Minneapolis created its Office of Community Safety in 2022, after the murder of George Floyd by a police officer. The office was intended to reshape how the city provides public safety, including how services beyond traditional policing fit into that work.
The office oversees services including the police, fire department and 911 emergency response. Its commissioner, Toddrick Barnette, has been in the role since 2023; the city council rejected his renomination, and he plans to leave in December.
The debate matters because changing the office could affect how residents access public safety services. The mayor says a replacement plan is needed to avoid putting those services at risk.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Supporters of eliminating the Office of Community Safety may argue that an office created to improve public safety should be judged by its results, and that reported budget overruns, weak communication and limited engagement show it is not delivering enough to justify its cost. They may see restructuring as a chance to make accountability clearer and direct resources towards services residents can assess and rely on.
The case against
Opponents may argue that the office was created to broaden how Minneapolis provides public safety after George Floyd’s murder, and that ending it without a replacement plan could disrupt services or undo useful work. They may favour addressing concerns about spending, leadership and communication through reform, while preserving the city’s capacity to develop approaches alongside conventional policing.
Full account
Minneapolis City Council leaders have advanced a proposal to abolish the city’s Office of Community Safety, setting a public hearing for 27 October. The measure, brought forward by Council President Elliott Payne and Council Member Robin Wonsley, would reverse part of a public safety reorganisation that followed George Floyd’s murder in 2020. The office was created in 2022 under Mayor Jacob Frey, after voters rejected a separate proposal to replace the police department with a new public safety department.
Supporters of the change say the office has added bureaucracy without delivering clear improvements in public safety, and point to concerns about management, spending and oversight. Wonsley has argued that the office did not adequately scrutinise police overspending or demonstrate measurable benefits. A recent city audit also raised concerns about financial controls and documentation in violence prevention contracts overseen by the Neighborhood Safety Department. The council proposal would retain that department, according to MPR News, while changing where some responsibilities sit.
Frey has warned that removing the office without a detailed transition plan could put services at risk. It currently brings together police, fire, emergency management, 911 and neighbourhood safety functions; the mayor says it also manages mental health response, violence prevention and police reform. Under the proposal, police and fire leaders would report directly to the mayor, as they had previously. Frey has also linked the proposed abolition to other suggested cuts to the police department, arguing that the combination is not a serious approach to public safety.
The dispute follows an earlier clash over Community Safety Commissioner Toddrick Barnette. The council rejected Frey’s bid to reappoint him, with critics citing budget overruns and management concerns; Barnette has said he intends to leave in December. Council members have differed over his record, with some criticising his performance and another praising his connection with residents. The forthcoming hearing is a step in the process, rather than a final vote to abolish the office.
Where outlets differ
The first supplied report centres on Commissioner Toddrick Barnette, his salary, the failed reappointment and council members’ mixed views of his performance. The second focuses on the abolition proposal’s stated rationale, the structure of the office and an audit of violence prevention contracts.
The second report attributes the proposal to Payne and Wonsley and describes management and financial oversight as central concerns; the first gives more space to claims of poor performance and Barnette’s compensation. MPR News adds that the Neighborhood Safety Department would remain and explains the office’s origins in the city’s post-Floyd government reorganisation.
The headline describes the office as an attempt to replace police, but the reports distinguish it from an earlier, voter-rejected proposal to replace the police department. The office itself coordinates several public safety departments, including police.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Minneapolis will vote to ax its woke Office of Community Safety created to try and replace cops in wake of George Floyd’s murder”.