Minneapolis Council Moves to Dismantle George Floyd-Era Public Safety Office

Minneapolis City Council leaders have advanced a proposal to eliminate the city’s Office of Community Safety, a move that signifies a significant reversal for a city that restructured public safety operations after the death of George Floyd. The proposal, which advanced Tuesday, faces opposition from Mayor Jacob Frey, who established the office in 2022.

The office was created in response to calls for police reform following Floyd’s death. It oversees multiple departments, including police, fire, 911, emergency management, and neighborhood safety, with the aim of coordinating services, improving interdepartmental communication, and establishing a unified chain of command and accountability.

Mayor Frey criticized council members for seeking to dismantle a structure they had previously supported. In a statement, Frey warned that the proposed elimination could jeopardize critical public safety programs, including mental health response, violence prevention, and police reform initiatives. "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 stated.

The push to dismantle the office comes amid increased scrutiny of the city’s violence prevention spending. A recent Minneapolis audit identified significant deficiencies in the Neighborhood Safety Department's oversight of community-based violence prevention contracts. The audit found inadequate documentation and financial controls, which increased the risk of fraud and misuse of taxpayer funds, affecting millions of dollars awarded to violence prevention organizations since 2023.

Council members supporting the restructuring argue it will preserve services while reducing administrative expenses and bureaucratic inefficiencies. Council Member Wonsley stated that the Office of Community Safety had become "administrative bloat" and a "barrier to creating and expanding alternative responses." She contended that the $2 million office, under Mayor Frey's management, had proven ineffective and that the proposal would remove these administrative layers without eliminating successful violence prevention or public safety programs.

The city’s 2026 public safety budget allocated over $16 million to the Office of Community Safety, nearly $10 million to Neighborhood Safety, and more than $225 million to the Minneapolis Police Department. It remains unclear how much financial savings would be realized by eliminating the office.