Update from the Mayor – May 18, 2005

May 18, 2005

In This Issue:

Minneapolis Events for "National Police Week"

This week the City of Minneapolis is joining municipalities across the country to celebrate "National Police Week" The Minneapolis Police Department is planning a host of activities for Police Week including: precinct open houses and tours, which will include demonstrations of the Bomb Squad, Mounted Horse Patrol, K-9 Units, and Motorcycle Unit. The MPD's public safety partners, including the State Patrol, Minneapolis Fire Department, Hennepin County Medical Center, and Community Crime Prevention will be a part of the open houses as well (activities will vary by precinct). Refreshments will be served. Here is the schedule for the rest of the week. I hope you have a chance to visit your precinct and not only thank the hard working men and women of our Police Department, but learn more about their day-to-day operations as well.

3rd Precinct, 3000 Minnehaha Ave. S
10 a.m. - 2 p.m., Wednesday, May 18

5th Precinct, 3101 Nicollet Ave. S
11 a.m. - 2 p.m., Thursday, May 19

2nd Precinct, 1911 Central Ave. NE
10 a.m. - 2 p.m., Friday, May 20

3rd Precinct Grand Re-Opening Celebration 3000 Minnehaha Ave. S.
10 a.m. - 2 p.m., Saturday, May 21
12:30 p.m. - Ribbon-cutting ceremony and dedication

I'll be attending, along with Minneapolis City Council Members and Police Chief William McManus.

Public safety is and will continue to be my top priority. Under my leadership the Police Department's budget has increased by over 14 percent - nearly $13 million more each year - despite the City's loss of $37 million annually in local government aid from the State.

We have significantly increased the public safety presence downtown with unprecedented combined patrols of Metro Transit, the Hennepin County Sheriff's office and the Minneapolis Police Department. We have created the STOP Division, a strategic team of officers who are deployed quickly to hot spots across the City as needed. For example, when there was a rash of robberies in Uptown the STOP Division was deployed and helped make key arrests. Since STOP was deployed we have seen a noticeable drop in serious crime in the geographic area they are working in each week, parts of town that span four different Police Precincts on both the north and south sides of Minneapolis.

We have needed to find new ways of doing business, but we also do need additional resources for public safety. This is why we have put an additional $1 million annually into public safety from 2004 cost-savings, it is why we are in the process of hiring a recruit class of new officers, and it is why I am insisting that there will be no reductions to the police force in 2006.

MOSAIC Festival Opening Weekend

As summer approaches, I want to give you advance notice of the Opening Celebration Weekend for Minneapolis MOSAIC, our annual festival of arts and culture. Mark your calendars for Thursday June 2, Friday June 3, and Saturday, June 4, for a variety of great events and performances that will take place in three different corners of the city. All events are free and more information about the scheduled events can be found on the MOSAIC website, www.minneapolismosaic.com

Each night the celebration will run from 6-10 p.m. at venues that include the State and Pantages Theatres, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Ancient Traders Market, Sumner Community Library, and Franklin Community Library (which just had its grand re-opening last weekend!). Great music, dance, spoken word, and art exhibitions from cultures as varied as Puerto Rican, Finnish, Somali, Hawaiian, Native American, Hmong, Brazilian, and more will be FREE for you and your family to enjoy. Again, check the website for specific information about which venues and events are taking place on each night. Hope to see you there!

Published May. 18, 2005