HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021 11-22 CCM WORKSESSION MINUTES OF TFIf', PROCEEDINGS OF THF, CITY COUNCIL/ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT AUI'1�ORITY OF THE CI"I'Y OF BROOKLYN CENTER
IN "I��II; CnUNTY OF HENNEPIN AND
"1'I I1; S'I'AT� OI' MINNI;SOTA
WORK SESSION
NOVEMBER 22, 2021
VIA 7.00M
1. CALL TO OI2DER
The Brooklyn Center City Council/Economic Development Authority(EDA)met in Work Scssion
called to order by President Mike Elliott at 9:48 p.m.
2. ROLL CALL
Mayor/President Mike Elliott and Councilmembers/Commissioners Marquita Butler, April
Graves, Kris Lawrence-Anderson, and Dan Ryan. Also present were City Manager Reggie
Edwards, and City Clerk Barb Suciu.
FOLLOW UP-TO BUDGET PRESENTATION
City Manager Reggie Edwards introduced the presentation on the 2022 Annual Preliminary
Budget Continued Public Safety Discussion. He provided an overview of the presentation and
background on previous conversations.
Dr. Edwards explained he is steeped in his family history, generations of understanding issues of
police as a Black male, trained in how to be safe in a commtlnity, educated in organizational
management, and has over 25 years of management experience at various levels of government.
He has heard a call for change. They need to eliminate systemic racism, eliminate inequalities,
prevent the loss of life by law enforcement, shift the mindset, structures, and patterns of behavior
related to systemic racism and inequalities, build community trust, particularly those who have
been historically marginalized, and create a feeling of safety and protection for all.
Dr. Edwards stated strategies have been proposed to address those needs. The Public Saf-ety Act
begins to address patterns of bchavior and structure change. The Act includes unarmed personnel
for non-motorized traffic offenses. Police cannot be the only solution to help the community. Dr.
Edwards explained he grew up in a community that did not have access to appropriate resources
and rarely called police due to fear and distrust of them. Hc added he had a cousin with a mental
disorder and an uncle that would sleep with his door locked and a pistol under his pillow. He had
another cousin with a mental disorder that bludgeoned Dr. Edwards' uncle to death. The City is
talking about providing mechanisms for the public to access before needing to call the police. A
community response such as unarmed mental health and social work practitioners to address 911
calls for mental health, social, and medical needs can help with violence prevention. IIe noted
there needs to be more than an organizational change to dismantle racism.
11/22/21 -1-
lli•. F,dwards stated they havc compared the costs of their police to ten similar cities: Shoreview,
Golden Valley, Crystal, Richfield, Fridley, White Bear Lake, New Hope, Maplewood, and
Roseville. They use the same cities whenever doing comparisons of cost, such as earlier when
talking about utility costs. "l�he proposed 2022 budget allocatcs 40.23 pet•cent of the City's general
budget to policing, and they rank sixth out of the ten comparison cities. White Bear Lake, New
f Iope, Maplewood, and Roseville spend a higher poriion of their budget on policing than Brooklyn
Center. Richfield and I�ridley arc within one percent of I3rooklyn Center. Ultimately,the policing
budget only accounts for less than ten percent of the total $100 million City budget. Dr. Edwards
showed a graph comparing the City budgets.
Dr. Edwards stated there are currently 14 vacant positions in the Police Department, and they need
to consider what the City is lacking with those vacancies. He showed a graph depicting the rate
of violent crime per 100,000 people in Brooklyn Center in comparison with other cities for the last
three years. The rate of violent crime in Brooklyn Center is typically higher than in other cities,
and 2020 still outpaced other cities. I�Ie showed a graph depicting the rate of property crime per
100,000 people in Brooklyn Center in comparison with other cities for the last three years.
I3rooklyn Center is the second-highest for property crime rates with about 3,700 property crimes
per 100,000 people in 2020.
Dr. Edwards stated the 2021 Brooklyn Center Community Survey showed the community stated
the most serious issue was the rising crime. In 2017,the same c�uestion showed the largest concern
was still a crime. In 2008 and 2012, lhey asked about the amount of police patrolling, and the
� majority said it was the right amount with about one-fourth of folks stating it was not enough.
Only one percent said it was too much. I'he 2017 Community Survey asked about the quality of
various City services. 37 percent stated police protection was excellent and 54 percent said police
protection was good. As for fire protection,49 percent rated it as excellent and 44 percent as good.
Dr. Fdwards noted no other type of service broke 35 percent ior the excellent rating. Overall, the
community surveys show the value of the I3rooklyn Ccnter Police Department and Fire
Department.
Di-. F,dwards stated 14 untilled positions that account for $1.3 million in the budget. 1 le showed
an organizational structure for the Brooklyn Center Police Department. If they transferred the
budget far the 14 police officers to another area, they would lose an investigations unit, street
crimes unit, and all but one of the community service officers. There would be no community
engagement and a reduction in proactive law enforcement, including traffic stops, be it motorized
or moving, and response related to crime trends.
Dr. Ldwards explained patrol minimums vary throughout the day as calls for service increase and
decrease. In summary, having 20 patrol officers would affect the schedule by forcing them to
consistently be at minimum staffing until that changes. It would be extremely challenging to train
oificers, allow for vacation, or offer officer wellness programs with lower staffing numbers. There
are always sick calls,and this would have to be filled with overtime call-backs and forced overtime.
Additionally,having four sergeants would mean periods with no patrol supervision. There are four
rotating 12-hour shifts, two days and two nights, and if one shift is working the other shift is off.
If one sergeant takes the day off; has training, or is sick, we will have no supervision.
11/22/21 -2-
Dr. Ldwards stated thc Street Crimes Unit is the group of officers dedicated to being law
enforcement liaisons with business owners and hotel managers. Without the Street Crimes Unit,
there will be no �roactive law enforcement liaisons in the business areas.
Dr. Edwards added that cotnparing the wages of a police officer to taking parking cornplaints,
responding to abandoned vehicles, and similar calls for service is misleading. "I,he Police
Department doesn't send police ofticers to those types of calls, but Community Service Oflicers
who are unarmed, part-time staff with an average wage of $19 per hour and are non-benefit
earning.
Dr. I:dwards stated bclore t11e shooting and death of Duante Wright, calls for service were held for
an average of 9 minutes and 50 seconds with an average response time to the calls for service being
9 minutes and 52 seconds. As of September 1, 2021, calls for service were held for an average of
17 �ninutes and 58 seconds and average response times to the calls for service were 10 minutes 47
seconds. "I'hat is an 83 percent increase for holding time and almost a 10 percent incrcase for
response times. He noted calls are not a one-to-one ratio as police must respond to certain calls
and certain calls suc11 as a violent crime require multiple police respondents.
Dr. Edwards stated the vision and mission of the City matter when looking at the budget. "I'hc
mission of the City of F3rooklyn Center is to ensure an attractive, clean, safe, and inclusivc
community that enhances the quality of life for all people and preserves public trust. "I'he
Council/EDA has identified strategic priorities, one of which being a safe, secure, stable
community. Additionally, the 2022 City budget priorities include accountability in policing �,
activities, economic stability, and equitable city spending. The budget also included the ,
I introduction of the Office of�Prevention,Health,and Safety to the City structure. They also created I
� the Off ce of Inclusion, Fquity, and Diversity. Both of those offices will work toward the spirit of ��I
the Resolution. '
Dr. Edwards stated the mission of the Office of Prevention, Health, and Safety is to provide ��
leadership, programming, coordination, and evaluation of prevention, health, and safety across the
enterprise and in the community, and coordination of efforts within the enterprise shall i-ocus
principally on all public safety-related departments. The functions of the Office of Prevention,
Health, and Safety include prevention, Health, and Community Safety Program management and
coordination, Civilian Traffic Enforcement Division, meaning unarmed civilian personnel
response to non-moving traffic violations, and a Community Response Division with cammunity
mental health 911 and community health response.
Dr. Edwards stated the department budget highlights include an initial start with coordination
across the cnterprise, piloting civilian traffic response grant-funded for two years, piloting mental
health 911 calls and community response grant-funded for two years, and initiating data analysis
and communication. That equates to $879,850 for each 2022 and 2023 with some funding from
tax money and others from grants. Overall, the 2022 and 2023 budgets would result in over $2.6
million investment in the Implementation Committee,FUSE fellows, Office of Prevention, Health,
and Safety, the community response pilot, traffic enforcement pilot, community transformational
change innovation, youth gun violence prevention, new health focus embedded in the Recreation
11/22/21 -3-
Department, and the Office of Inclusion, Equity, and Antiracism. Ultimately, cach of thosc
programs addresses public health.
Dr. :?dwards stated it would be unsustainable for the i'olice Department to lose t�unding ior the ]4
police of�licers, but the upcoming budgets still have a huge financial and programming
commitment for police alternatives. The intent is to build resources over time. "I'he budget creates
officcs, commences pilot programs, combines mental health models, maintains public safety,
prioritizes translormational change, and is tiscally responsible within the means of the City. The
preliminaiy budget is based on hearing the Council/EDA articulate a need for policing service
nced, public health, and well-bcing and crime prevention priorities, strategies to address these
multi-variate and dynamic priorities without diminishing the quality of service delivery, and
seeking innovative strategies to address the needs articulated by the Council/I?DA in an iiulovative,
cost-efficient and service outcome effective manner.
Dr. I;dwards noted these efforts are revolutionary as no other city has a successfiil model 1or what �'
F3rooklyn Center wants to do. The Council/EDA is consistent and committed to transformational ��
community change. Therc is a proposed investment of$1.5 million in 2022 and $l.l million in
2023.
Councilmember/Colnmissioner Lawrence-Anderson noted her appreciation for Dr. 1?dwards'
presentation and efforts in balancing various priorities and viewpoints. She stated she had a couple
of clarifying questions for Dr. Edwards but asked President Elliott what the plan for the cvening
would be considering the late hour.
Mayor/Yresident Elliott asked the Council/EDA for their input on how to finish the meeting.
Councilmember/Commissioner Ryan stated he agrees with Commissioner Lawrence-Anderson
and would like to adjourn for the evening to process the information presented by Dr. Edwards.
He stated the CounciUF,DA, with the advice of staff, needs to answer to how they will organize
the City and address police reform.
Councilmembcr/Commissioner Ryan supported a motion to adjourn the mecting.
Mayor/Yresident I?Iliott stated there are several community members on the call who have been
waiting for an opportunity to speak.
Councilmember/Commissioner Ryan stated that is important to consider, but for the Council/EDA
to be effective as a representative body and is responsible to the City's residents, thcy must make
decisions in a timely fashion. "There is a time and a place for business meetings and listening
sessions. It is inef-ficient for meetings to drag on when answers are required. Commissioner Ryan
stated he wants to hear f�rom everyone in the community and has wanted to in his 15 years of City
involvement. He suggested they conclude the meeting and schedule a listening session to hear
from folks and give people a full opportunity to share their concerns and feelings with the
Council/EllA.
11/22/21 -4-
Mayor/President Elliott stated Monday,November 29, 2021, could be an opportunity for residents
to share those feelings. Councilmember/Commissioner Butler confirmed that date works for her.
Councilmember/Colmnissioner Graves agreed that date warks lor her and noted she will be a lot
more prepared to talk about Dr. Edwards' presentation,the new Resolution,and the public interest.
She acknowledged it is frustrating for residents who have been waiting to speak, but noted her
capacity to listen attentively and fully absorb public comments was diminished. She stated most I
of the Council/EDA probably feels really tired and asked for the public to have grace with each �i
other despite the potential disappointment. I
Mayor/President Elliott stated he wanted to be respectful of everyone's time, so he would like to �'�,
close the meetina after hearing from one resident whose comments were mentioned in the �I
presentation.
Michelle Gross, President of Communities United Against Police Brutality, stated policies are a �
completely different conversation, but they are talking about establishing appropriate responses �
for the kinds of things that are being referred to the Police Department by default because there
are not appropriate responses available. She stated she is interested in Dr. Edwards' presentation
and would like to speak with him further outside of the meeting. When presenting her model last �
week, it was only a thought process and a way to look at the return on investment and was not ,
necessarily the only model. Digging into the details will be the role of the Implementation
Committee. '
Ms. Gross noted there has been talk about outside forces and, being a resident of North
Minneapolis and spending a large amount of time in Brooklyn Center, she would venture to say
the developers who presented on the potential use of the old Sears building also do not live in
Brooklyn Center. It is not a matter of one's zip code but rather a matter of what one cares about
or where people put their energy and time. She stated she has some expertise she is willing to lend
to the City at no cost. Ultimately, she hopes to contribute in a way to better Brooklyn Center. Ms.
Gross added this is not looking at police reform but rather a way to respond to various kinds of
calls that are currently weighing down the Police Department and hindering what they need to do.
Mayor/President Elliott asked the residents who wanted to speak to return to the next Council/EDA
meeting for a chance to share their comments and concerns. He apologized for running out of
time.
Liz resident stated she hopes the City will take up Ms. Gross on her offer to provide free services
to assist with the implementation of the Resolution. She added curfew is fine but asked that law
enforcement does not use tear gas on them.
5. ADJOURNMENT
Commissioner Ryan moved and Commissioner Butler seconded adjournment of the Economic
Development Authority meeting at 10:31 p.m.
Motion passed unanimously. �'
11/22/21 -5- ��
STATE OF MINNESOTA)
COUNTY OF HENNEPIN) ss. Certification of Minutes
CITY OF BROOKLYN C�NTER) �ii
The undersigned,being the duly qualified and appointed City Clerk of the City of Brooklyn Center, �
Minnesota, certifies: I
1. That attached hereto is a full,true,and complete transcript of the minutes of a Work Session I
of the City Council of the City of Brooklyn Center held on November 22, 2021. i�
2. That said meeting was held pursuant to due call and notice thereof and was duly held at I
Brooklyn Center City Hall. ��
3. That the City Council adopted said minutes at its December 13, 2021, Regular Session. ����
,}i ,� � ,���.�-(
:,
Barbara Suciu, City Clerk ,� Mike Elliott, Mayor �
/
11/22/21 -6-