PUBLIC Speaker & Discussion Series
Interested in discussing local issues? Learning more city government actions? Join us for our community speaker series now via Zoom. A discussion with LWVMpls means all voices are heard. Our goal: everyone leaves the discussion with a broader understanding of the issues.
Civic Buzz: The Minneapolis 2021 Budget – Policing, Violence Prevention, and the Community
Over the last few months, the Minneapolis City Council, through its budget committee, has reorganized the city’s public safety agenda by shifting dollars, programs and responsibilities of city departments. Our forum explored the Minneapolis 2021 Budget and its impact on the Minneapolis Police Department, the Office of Violence Prevention, and the community.
We were fortunate to have three speakers from the two departments most impacted by these changes. Medaria Arrodando is Chief of the Minneapolis Police Department and Sasha Cotton is Director of the Office of Violence Prevention. Both have been charged with implementing and managing the public safety programs mandated by the City Council.
In addition, Sergeant Kristopher Brown, MPD5h Precinct, implemented and was manager of the Co-Responder Program until it was suspended in early 2020 due to the COVID pandemic. The Co-Responder Program is a three-year joint effort of Hennepin County mental health professionals and MPD patrol officers, who as a team respond to calls involving residents experiencing mental health crises.
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