Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on Friday announced plans for the city to keep some 100 police jobs open next year, bowing to the city's budget challenges and loud calls to defund the force.
"There is no single policy proposal that will, in one fell swoop, undo 400 years of institutionalized racism," the 39-year-old mayor said in his budget address. "But that doesn't mean we can't leverage this moment to do more and go further than those who have tried before us."
Frey has faced withering criticism after the caught-on-video police killing of George Floyd in May. The brutal death of the 46-year-old Black man who was crushed beneath the knee of a Minneapolis police officer helped catalyze nationwide protests against racism.
Frey said the city expects roughly 100 cops will have left the department by year's end, paving the way for structural change.
The Democratic mayor has resisted calls to completely dismantle the department.
The city took a step toward abolishing the force in June when its City Council unanimously approved a proposal to squash and replace the force. That plan has since been held up and won't appear on voter ballots in the fall.
In addition to leaving jobs open, Frey's budget plan would create positions to answer non-emergency crime report phone calls, shifting the burden from the Police Department.
"Minneapolis stands at a pivotal moment that demands every ounce of our shared strength pushing in the same direction," Frey said. "And in this moment, we must both see and realize the opportunity embedded in these crises."
Frey will seal his budget recommendations for next year by the end of August, according to his office.
"As officers from past generations leave, it's incumbent on us to ensure that officers of future generations enter the department committed to our shared vision," Frey said. "We cannot squander this opportunity to make significant progress."
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