Minneapolis Progressives Launch Major Reform of Post-George Floyd Public Safety, Push to Dismantle Office

Minneapolis Council Leaders Propose Scrapping Community Safety Office Over Failed Audit and Wasteful Costs, Pushing Back on Mayor Jacob Frey

Minneapolis City Council leaders on Tuesday tabled a proposal to eliminate the city's Office of Social Safety as part of a sweeping public safety overhaul, citing concerns about poor management and financial oversight.

Mayor Jacob Frey warned the move could put vital services at risk.

The office was created by Mayor Frey in 2022 in response to calls for police reform after the death of George Floyd, the Star Tribune reported.

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"It's good governance to stop investing in things that don't produce meaningful results and waste taxpayer dollars," Wonsley said. "The Office of Community Safety has also contributed to increased audit costs due to poor management. It is our responsibility to cut unnecessary bureaucracy that does not contribute to public safety."

"This office — the office these council members supported — manages services like mental health response, violence prevention and police reform. If council members want those services at risk, that's on them. This unplanned wholesale elimination, along with other proposed cuts to MPD, is not a serious proposition for public safety in our city," Frey said.

According to the City of Minneapolis, the Office of Community Safety oversees five departments: police, fire, 911, emergency management and neighborhood safety. This office is designed to coordinate public safety services, improve communication between departments and create a single chain of command and accountability.

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The proposal comes amid growing scrutiny of the city's violence prevention spending. A recent Minneapolis audit found serious deficiencies in the Department of Neighborhood Safety's oversight of community-based violence prevention contracts, including inadequate documentation and financial controls that increase the risk of fraud and misuse of taxpayer money.

The city failed to properly monitor millions of dollars awarded to violence prevention organizations, according to an investigation. The audit examined a system that has allocated more than $36 million to five major violence prevention programs through 2023.

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Payne defended the proposed restructuring as a way to preserve services while reducing administrative costs.

"Now more than ever, our city government must be responsive to the needs of its residents and its structure must reflect that."

The city's released 2026 public safety budget allocated more than $16 million to the Office of Community Safety, nearly $10 million to neighborhood safety and more than $225 million to the Minneapolis Police Department. It's not yet clear how much money eliminating the office will actually save.

The Shedwensley Office of Community Safety said the $2 million office has become a "bureaucratic mess" that has been mismanaged by Mayor Ferry, and said taxpayers have paid the price.

"The city can advance a comprehensive safety system and support much more efficient policing reform without unnecessary bureaucratic layers that have proven to be ineffective," Wonzli added.

"Residents should not anticipate negative impacts because OCS has never been able to effectively manage or oversee programs and services. This proposal does not eliminate any violence prevention or public safety programs that are paying off. It simply removes administrative bloat."

CJ graduated from Long Beach State University in 2025 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Masters in Journalism.

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