Minneapolis committee reviews progress on community safety ecosystem, pilots and centers

The Public Health and Safety Committee on March 5 received a quarterly update on the city’s community safety ecosystem, including progress implementing recommendations from the Safe and Thriving Communities report and an NYU assets-and-gaps analysis.

"We are working to develop, support, and sustain an innovative, collaborative, and evolving safety ecosystem that ensures equitable equitable outcomes for all Minneapolis communities," Amanda Harrington, director of community safety design and implementation in the Office of Community Safety, told the committee.

The update covered completed tasks, staffing and governance changes, utilization data from the Lake Street Community Safety Center, and the design and pilot timelines for several programs meant to move non-emergency responses away from armed police officers.

Why it matters: The report outlines how Minneapolis plans to expand nonpolice responses to livability, mental-health and traffic incidents and to create new community safety centers. Several pilots described in the presentation could change which city offices respond to nonviolent calls, affect how 911 triages crisis responses and guide future budget and contracting decisions.

Key takeaways

- Implementation status: Harrington said 43 tasks from the Safe and Thriving Communities report and the NYU asset-and-gaps analysis are marked completed as of Feb. 28, with 12 completed since the committee’s last quarterly update in November. She said four tasks were finished before she joined the city and six in her first four months on the job.

- Governance and staffing: The city has formed a steering committee to oversee implementation and align the Office of Community Safety (OCS), the Office of Public Service and the City Attorney’s Office. Harrington said the deputy director position for OCS…