Last month, 911 calls in north Minneapolis hit a spike, so the chief of police added more patrols to those troubled neighborhoods with a profound result—a marked decrease in gun violence and shooting victims.
When 20 additional officers from other city districts were called out to help, north side city councilman Blong Yang noticed an immediate difference. Yang told WCCO, “We hear gunfire maybe once a week, maybe a little bit more than that. (We’re) hearing on the streets folks are liking this. They’re liking officers on the streets, walking around.”
Since the order for supplementary patrols has helped reduce 911 calls and violence, Yang says it proves a city as large as Minneapolis could use more police on the street. “We’re close to about 870 cops and you know I think in a city over 400,000 I think we should be closer to 900 or 1,000 cops,” he added.
