Minneapolis Park Board Moving To End Relationship With Minneapolis Police

[Jim1348]

I am quite certain that this will happen. With both the University of Minnesota and the Minneapolis Public Schools getting a "divorce" from the Minneapolis Police, I am absolutely sure the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board will be granted a "divorce", too.

I am also pretty confident that some contract security companies are "waiting in the wings" to jump on these opportunities. All would be absolutely horrible places to work, too.

There are also police abolitionists on the Minneapolis City Council clamoring for the current police department to disband. While I doubt that will happen, they are calling for unarmed folks to be the replacements. My guess would be that for accountability, it would NOT be contract security, unless it were somehow to look more like what the United States Marshal's Service does, or the Federal Protective Service, by using long term contract security.

I would also anticipate that at least some additional businesses will be looking for security as more things continue to open up in the Post COVID-2019 world in Minneapolis. The reasons could be one of two things. For quite a while now some have been calling for the Minneapolis Police to work less, or no, off-duty jobs. Of all times in the history of the Minneapolis Police, this might be the time that the City Council steps in and tells the Police Chief to stop that. The other reason, of course, is that the businesses doing the contracting for off-duty Minneapolis Police Officers, will do it on their own. There is a growing list of businesses that will no longer serve Minneapolis Police officers. Some gas stations won't turn the pumps on for off-duty officers and some restaurants will no longer serve/sell food to officers.


https://www.startribune.com/park-boa...ice/570982312/

https://alphanewsmn.com/minneapolis-...s-city-council

[Condo Guard]

Typical over reaction that will backfire on them, for sure. Going from armed to unarmed is not going to make the criminals suddenly give up and make everything rainbows and unicorns.

I did a very short gig in Seattle as a "Security Ambassador" (I can't remember exactly what our joke title was), to try to deal with the worsening conditions downtown. It was warm and fuzzy - we looked like Fed Ex guys rather than guards. We were "armed" with pamphlets with a list of social services, and trained in a lame version of verbal judo (lots of polite requests to refrain from anti-social activity). We were absolutely useless, and replaced by another private company with a more hands on approach.

[Soper]

Yeah...wait till the next AS hits a school in Minn... Where’s the POLICE??!