Minneapolis PD strategy to battle crime hotspots is showing results

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Updated gun crime statistics released on Wednesday by Minneapolis police came with some good news and not-so-good news.

Recently gun crime is up while police staffing is down. The number of gunshot victims are down 11% in 2022 compared to 2021. Shooting-related calls are also down 5 percent in 2022 to 2021. But, while shooting calls are down, the use of very dangerous fully-automatic gunfire is way up with a 266% increase year to year.

"The main cause of this are ‘auto sears,' also known as switches," said MPD Crime Analyst Austin Rice. "They’re installed on firearms and capable of being 3D-printed, but most commonly purchased online."

Data also shows the hot spots police have identified. They include the Jordan neighborhood, Broadway Avenue corridor, 27th and Bloomington, Franklin and Chicago and 19th and Nicollet.

This data was used to develop focused enforcement detail this summer, with 12 days of targeted enforcement by multiple agencies working together. The results of that work include up to a 55% decrease in areas that were the focus of enforcement, 209 arrests, and 150 guns recovered.

The fentanyl recovered is worth $70,000 to $100,000.

Minneapolis City Councilmember LaTrisha Vetaw recognized the work. "I have people in our neighborhood who have bullet holes in their houses, [who have] kids scared of going to the store and they have reached out to my office and say we see the difference since this Operation Safe Summer has been happening," the councilwoman explained.

"It is a new, re-imagined way of trying to get things done with fewer people," added MPD Commander of Strategic Operations Jason Case.

As for victims and those arrested, MPD data shows only about half of the shooting victims and half of those arrested for gun crimes are actually from Minneapolis -- a stat that has dropped over the last two years.