Judge Rules in Favor of Minneapolis Group That Sued for More Police Officers
Celine Castronuovo, The Hill, July 2, 2021
Hennepin County District Judge Jamie L. Anderson issued a Writ of Mandamus ordering Minneapolis to raise its number of police officers to at least 730 by the end of June 2022, or roughly 0.2 percent of the city’s population based on the results of the 2020 census once they are published.
The news comes as the city is projected to have 649 officers by the beginning of 2022, according to Anderson’s order.
The lawsuit was filed in August by the Upper Midwest Law Center, which works with conservative think tank Center for the American Experiment, on behalf of eight north Minneapolis residents.
The group in its complaint said “Minneapolis is in a crisis,” specifically citing an increase in shootings and homicides, as well as damages to the Third Police Precinct during the civil unrest following Floyd’s death.
Anderson wrote in the decision that the Minneapolis residents who filed the lawsuit were able to demonstrate that the city’s rising crime rate was caused by a lack of officers, resulting in personal injuries. {snip}
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