Remember When Minneapolis Defunded Its Police? They're Regretting That Now

The latest news from Minneapolis is…totally predictable, actually.

Minneapolis officials are considering bringing in officers from other jurisdictions to help the city’s Police Department as they face a wave of violent crime and an officer shortage.

If the mayor and City Council approve the plan, officers from the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office and Metro Transit Police would temporarily work with the city, primarily helping to respond to violent 911 calls.

So they’re not just going to draft and send social workers?

The proposal comes about five months after a majority of council members promised to work toward “ending” the Police Department following George Floyd’s death.

The city has struggled to combat a wave of violent crime, recording 74 homicides so far this year.

At the same time, an abnormally large number of officer departures following Floyd’s death and the subsequent unrest has strained the department’s resources. Some officers have filed PTSD claims.

According to KSTP there were 48 homicides in Minneapolis in all of 2019. There are still nearly two months to go in 2020. Doubling last year’s homicide number is not out of the question. Minneapolis also faces a lawsuit from residents who say the city is violating its own charter by operating its police department below mandatory staffing levels.

The crime waves many cities, including Minneapolis, are suffering were completely predictable and totally avoidable. City councils acted rashly to appease activist mobs. In every single case, it was Democrats who made the terrible choice to gut their police departments and turn their cities over to chaos and violence.

It’s going to cost a fortune to get cities that defunded their police to become stable and safe again. They threw away 20 years of progress against violent crime in a few days. Recovery will be long and uncertain.