Minneapolis council moves to dissolve the Office of Community Safety amid cost and management concerns

Minneapolis City Council advanced a proposal to abolish the Office of Community Safety, a unit established by Mayor Jacob Frey in 2022 as part of post-Floyd police-reform efforts. Council President Elliott Payne and Council Member Robin Wonsley argue the office has mismanaged funds, raised audit expenses and added unnecessary bureaucracy, urging the city to reallocate resources more efficiently. The office currently oversees five departments, including the police, fire, 911, emergency management and Neighborhood Safety, and manages programs such as mental-health crisis response and violence prevention.

Frey warned that eliminating the office could threaten those services, calling the plan “not a serious proposal” for public safety. A recent city audit uncovered serious oversight gaps in the Neighborhood Safety Department’s contracts, which have directed over $36 million to violence-prevention groups since 2023. Supporters contend that core programs like the Behavioral Crisis Response team predate the office and would continue operating, while the $2 million office itself is seen as a bureaucratic barrier. The city’s 2026 budget allocates more than $16 million to the office, nearly $10 million to Neighborhood Safety, and over $225 million to the police department, though the exact savings from elimination remain unclear.