20060815newsmayor07budgetrelease

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak today unveiled his plans for a city budget that significantly increases funding for a wide range of public safety initiatives using revenue earned from past fiscal discipline and debt reduction. Mayor Rybak’s proposal calls for nearly $200 million in public safety programs for the next year, restores the City’s police force to 893 officers, and equips police with cutting-edge camera technology.

“Minneapolis faces a serious public safety challenge that requires us to continue to make significant investments to fight crime,” Rybak said. “The budget I am delivering today will do just that: fund 43 new police officers, invest $1 million in each of the next two years in public safety technology and advance a series of initiatives that attack the root causes of crime.”

“The most powerful tool in any crime fighting strategy is to put more police officers on the street,” Rybak said. “By adding police officers, we will return to a police force of 893 sworn officers – the same number we had in 2002, and a significant achievement considering we did that in spite of a slowed economy, the end of federal public safety funding and $30 million less from the state.”

Many times during his speech, Mayor Rybak reinforced that the only reason the City is able to restore our police strength amidst state budget cuts was because of the City’s past fiscal discipline.

“As a result of our commitment to pay off the credit card, we have reduced our debt by $80 million, which means we have $7.6 million more to spend every year on public safety,” Rybak said. “By being tough on the budget, you can be tough on public safety.”

Saying that crime “is a complex problem that requires a complex set of comprehensive solutions,” Mayor Rybak outlined his public safety plan around four core themes: tough enforcement, crime prevention, protecting livability and a relentless demand for clear accountability and consistent results.

Tough Enforcement

Hire 43 new police officers, an increase of 114 officers on the street and a restoration of the police force to 893 officers, the same number before state budget cuts.
Dedicate $2 million over the next two years to public safety technology such as safe-zone cameras, shot-spotter, and squad car video.
Expand funding for community prosecutors in police precincts to increase convictions.

Crime Prevention

Increase support for proven community-based youth crime prevention grants.
Increase support for domestic violence prevention.
Hire homelessness prevention outreach workers to help people move out of homelessness.

Protect Livability

Expand and improve coordination of graffiti removal, enforcement and education.
Expand efforts to improve or demolish blighted and problem properties.
Develop a new Safe Passage to Schools community organizing initiative to work with neighborhoods and schools on strategies to get kids to walk to school safely.
Build two more skate parks to help keep kids busy during the summer.

Accountability and Results

Hire a police department administrator to improve efficiency and effectiveness in the police department, allowing police leadership to focus on crime-fighting strategy.
Expand Results Minneapolis program that tracks outcomes and results of city initiatives.
Open the new Minneapolis 311 phone system on weekends, taking pressure off 911 operators.

Although Mayor Rybak indicated that his budget helps make substantial progress on many city goals such as closing the gaps in housing and jobs, supporting transit, and protecting the environment, he said that is was right to focus on public safety first.

“To those struggling with public safety, we are saying today that there will be more police on our streets and they will be equipped with cutting edge technology to put more eyes on the street and keep chronic offenders off the street,” Rybak said. “We are investing in proven programs that win back kids who begin to slip away; we are investing in fighting graffiti, problem properties, homelessness and those basic issues that affect a neighborhood’s livability. We are investing in jobs, in housing, in community development, in young people, and in all the other upstream solutions that build hope.”

“We are sending a strong message to young offenders – especially those in the barbaric gangs responsible for random deaths – that no matter how old they are they will be held accountable. We are putting more police on the street and we want them to do their job, respectfully and professionally. But we need to remember that having a safe place to call home is a basic civil right and we will not allow the worst offenders in our city to terrorize residents working to improve their neighborhoods.”

In his closing comments, Mayor Rybak called out to everyone in the community to become more involved in the fight against crime.

“Inside and outside the walls of City Hall, we need to reestablish the community values that surround every kid with a trusted adult, that keep kids from having kids of their own, and that prevent our communities from becoming dumping grounds with an over-concentration of needs. We need values that say NO to people from elsewhere who think it’s alright to engage in illegal prostitution in our city, that say NO to a drug trade that literally leads to death, that say NO to a culture that settles conflicts with deadly weapons,” Rybak said

“In a city where so many things are going right, we know we are up to the task. And when we succeed, Minneapolis can take its rightful place as the great city of our time. We should settle for nothing less,” Rybak said.

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