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| |  | The St. Paul Police Department is looking to make $4.9 million budget cuts. (Tim Evans / City Cast Twin Cities) |
| Ope, That’s a Lot of OT | As Minneapolis and St. Paul leaders grapple with multi-million dollar budget gaps, spending on police overtime continues to be a sore spot. Since the murder of George Floyd, the Minneapolis Police Department has spent record-breaking numbers on police overtime year after year. Though the St. Paul Police Department has been cutting down on its overtime spending, it’s still projected to be over budget at the end of this year. [Star Tribune / Pioneer Press] | - Not enough cops? The problem, city leaders say, stems from a shortage of sworn officers and the number of public safety crises that have arisen. The Pioneer Press reports SPPD is 50 officers below its authorized strength of 616 (that’s two officers per 1,000 residents), leading to backfilling work with overtime. SPPD is looking to make $4.9 million in cuts, and Mayor Kaohly Her is proposing reducing the force’s authorized strength. The question seems to be if SPPD can find a way to use the number of staff they do have more efficiently. [Pioneer Press]
- Bigger budget: MPD is expected to land $23 million over budget, and city council members have criticized the department’s overtime spending. Mayor Jacob Frey said the city has actually been underbudgeting police overtime, and proposed over $13 million for the overtime budget compared to $2.3 million in 2026. Frey’s administration is facing a court mandate to maintain a police force of 731, as outlined in the city charter, by early next year. [MPR News / CBS Minnesota]
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| What the Cities Are Talking About |
| De-Flocking continues: The University of Minnesota Police Department will remove one Flock camera from Cedar-Riverside after pushback from the community and local representatives. “UMPD determined that removing this single unit was the appropriate step to support community trust while maintaining robust safety coverage,” reads a statement from the U. The department operates 10 Flock cameras in total. [KSTP] | | Beer problems: BMO Bank is suing Summit Brewing for more than $8 million in unpaid debt. The bank is seeking a judge’s order to sell the brewery after Summit missed a loan repayment deadline. Summit’s CEO said in a statement that the case “reflects the difficult capital environment” of the industry as a whole. [Star Tribune] | | Thrill-seekers: After a teen was injured falling 20 stories from the decommissioned Checkerboard Grain Mill, law enforcement is concerned about the growing trend of urban explorers. Public officials and veteran explorers say social media is behind the influx of newbies. The Star Tribune reports police have received an increasing number of calls about trespassing by urban explorers over the last two years. [Star Tribune] | |  | "I took this right after I decided to stop."(Em Cassel / Racket) |
| Bike tales: Race Across Duluth was this weekend, a 45-mile mountain bike race where riders gain 3,000 feet in elevation. Who would attempt such a feat? City Cast contributor and Racket co-owner Em Cassel, for one. On today’s show, Em recounts her race and how it all went wrong at mile seven. ”How good is your health insurance?” Em said. “These are the questions we need to be asking ourselves before we do a stupid race like this.” Read Em's full account on Racket. [City Cast Twin Cities] | | Early birds: Catch host Sean McPherson on KFAN tomorrow morning with some trivia and delightful conversation. Sean and Chuck from Trivia Mafia will be on at 6 a.m. for an hour of games, trivia, and icebreaker questions. As always, you can also catch Sean running music trivia on KQRS’s morning show on Wednesday mornings at 8:30 a.m. |
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