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Chief Hodges reports crime down 10% and outlines new police mental‑health and protection units
Summary
Bloomington Police reported a 10% overall crime decrease year‑over‑year and highlighted new initiatives: a Community Police Unit with embedded Hennepin County social‑worker and brain‑health services (noted reductions in holds and resource usage), a new Executive Protection Unit for high‑risk events, and a Human Trafficking Unit. Staffing and retirements were also discussed.
Chief Booker T. Hodges presented the Bloomington Police Department’s annual public‑safety update at the April 13 council meeting.
Chief Hodges said the city’s authorized strength is 131 officers and reported a 10% reduction in overall crime compared with the previous year. He detailed violent incidents this year including three murders and an observed increase in reported rapes, which he attributed in part to increased willingness to report. The city has not seen the same auto‑theft increase reported elsewhere.
A major focus of the presentation was mental‑health and crisis response. Chief Hodges described a Community Police Unit and a Brain Health model that embeds an 80% city‑paid, 20% county‑paid social worker and two dedicated officers paired with therapists and graduate interns to provide immediate therapeutic services. He said the model has reduced involuntary holds by about 21% and reduced combined police/EMS/hospital resource usage by about 27% in targeted responses.
Chief Hodges also announced the creation of an Executive Protection Unit to support security for high‑risk events, a Human Trafficking Unit to investigate offenses connected to the city’s high concentration of hotel rooms, and an expanded employee wellness program. He warned of staffing impacts from upcoming retirements but said the department is managing coverage.
Council thanked the chief; members praised the brain‑health approach and asked about staffing and how new units will be resourced.
