Minnesota Supreme Court denies Minneapolis' request to review judge's order to hire more police officers

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Supreme Court has denied Minneapolis’ request to review a Hennepin County judge’s ruling that the city must hire more police officers.

In an order filed Tuesday, Chief Justice Lorie Gildea said the court was denying the city’s request for an "accelerated review," which would have allowed the case to bypass the state Court of Appeals. No further details were provided regarding the court’s decision.

A city spokesperson said the city is "disappointed" with the Supreme Court's decision, but is still pursuing an appeal in the appeals court.

Judge orders city of Minneapolis to hire more police officers

A Hennepin County District Court judge has ordered the city of Minneapolis to hire more police officers. This comes in response to a lawsuit filed by a group of residents.

In July, Hennepin County Judge Jamie Anderson ordered the Minneapolis City Council and Mayor Jacob Frey to "immediately take any and all necessary action to ensure they fund a police force."

The order requires the city to employ at least 730 sworn officers by June 30, 2022, which would fulfill the ratio of residents to police officers currently stipulated in the city charter.

Residents file lawsuit against Minneapolis over decreased police staffing levels

Some are calling it an "exodus" as more officers within the Minneapolis Police Department look to take medical leave or leave the department permanently. As the staffing levels decrease, some concerned residents are filing a lawsuit against city.

The ruling came after several residents of Minneapolis’ Hawthorne and Jordan neighborhoods filed a lawsuit against the city over decreased police department staffing levels.