Minneapolis PD launching aggressive recruitment effort

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The City of Minneapolis is launching a million-dollar police recruitment campaign this week, as Mayor Jacob Frey pulls out all the stops to fill the large vacancy in the department.

Starting Wednesday, TV commercials, social media advertisements, and billboards will appear in various communities within a 300-mile radius of Minneapolis.

Frey says it's their latest attempt at attracting the best and the brightest to come work for Minneapolis Police, as the department is operating several hundred officers short.

"There are opportunities here in Minneapolis that you will not get elsewhere," said Frey. 

The department has faced mass retirements in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and the riots that followed. Like other police departments across the country in recent years, it's also experienced a drop in police academy enrollment.

"You will get exposed to things here in Minneapolis that you will not get exposed to if you're handing out speeding tickets," he said. "It's difficult work, but it's also one where you can cut your teeth on difficult work and advance at a much faster pace."

With the death of three Burnsville first responders in recent weeks, the reality of the job’s inherent risk is another challenge for the city. Chief Brian O’Hara doesn’t deny the risk but says he still believes there are good people out there wanting to do this work.

He says while attacks on police officers have grown exponentially over the last several years, he knows from being in the community every day that the majority of citizens appreciate their work.

"The level of support in this city for this department is unlike anything I’ve seen since Sept. 11, 2001," said O’Hara.

Frey said he recognizes that pay is also an issue in recruiting new talent, so he plans to present a proposal for wage incentives in the coming months.

The new campaign will hit the airwaves on March 6.