Minneapolis progressives turn on George Floyd-era public safety overhaul, push to dismantle office

Minneapolis City Council leaders advanced a proposal Tuesday to eliminate the city's Office of Community Safety as part of a sweeping public safety restructuring, citing poor management and financial oversight concerns, as Mayor Jacob Frey warned the move could jeopardize critical services. 

According to The Star Tribune, the office was created by Mayor Frey in 2022 in response to calls for police reform after the death of

City Council President Elliott Payne and Council Member Robin Wonsley, who are spearheading the measure to eliminate the office, cited performance and cost concerns, in a statement to FOX 9.

"It is good governance to stop investing in things that are not producing meaningful outcomes and are wasting taxpayer dollars," Wonsley said. "The Office of Community Safety has also contributed to increased audit costs due to poor management. Its our responsibility to cut unnecessary bureaucracy that does not contribute to public safety."

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The proposal marks a significant reversal for a city that reorganized public safety operations following Floyd's death. Frey, who established the office in 2022, criticized council members for seeking to dismantle a structure some had previously championed. In a statement to , the mayor warned that the proposed elimination could threaten existing public safety programs.

"This office — one that these council members advocated for — manages services like mental health response, violence prevention, and . If council members want these services in jeopardy, thats on them. This wholesale elimination without a plan, combined with other proposed cuts to MPD, is not a serious proposal when it comes to public safety in our city," Frey said.

According to the City of Minneapolis, the Office of Community Safety oversees five departments: police, fire, 911, emergency management and neighborhood safety. The office was designed to coordinate public safety services, improve communication between departments and establish a unified chain of command and accountability.

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The proposal comes amid mounting scrutiny of the city's violence prevention spending. A recent Minneapolis audit identified serious deficiencies in the Neighborhood Safety Department's oversight of community-based violence prevention contracts, including inadequate documentation and financial controls that increased the risk of fraud and misuse of taxpayer money.

According to the investigation, the city failed to properly oversee millions of dollars awarded to violence prevention organizations. The audit examined a system that has directed more than $36 million to five major violence prevention programs since 2023.

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Payne defended the proposed restructuring