Senate GOP releases $65 million plan to grow Minnesota police ranks

(FOX 9) - Newly hired police officers would be eligible for $10,000 bonuses under a plan put forward by Minnesota Senate Republicans on Thursday, as the Legislature grapples with shrinking police forces around the state.

The new officers would need to stay at their agency for one year to receive the bonus, which would be funded from a $20 million pool, meaning up to 2,000 officers could get it. Republicans who control the Senate said they also wanted $44 million for tuition reimbursement and scholarships and $1 million on an advertising campaign promoting law enforcement careers.

"Money’s not enough," Senate Majority Leader Jeremy Miller, R-Winona, told reporters. "Public officials – all levels, all parties – need to start showing law enforcement the respect and appreciation they deserve." 

There is bipartisan agreement that the Legislature needs to address staffing shortages at police agencies around the state. Gov. Tim Walz has already released a recruiting proposal, and Democrats in charge of the House said they would release theirs soon.

Minneapolis Police have had the highest-profile struggles, losing 300 officers over a two-year period. But Republicans who represent rural Minnesota said their local agencies are also having problems finding qualified applicants to fill positions.

"Even in Faribault, our officers are being sworn at, spit upon, given the finger," said state Sen. John Jasinski, R-Faribault. "It’s happening across everywhere that I’ve seen." 

Walz's plan has some overlap with the one released by the Senate GOP on Thursday.

The governor's proposal calls for $5.9 million in spending through 2025. It would make $1,000 annual student loan payments over five years for newly hired officers. It also includes a marketing campaign to promote the career path.

"These are professions throughout my career that I have valued," Walz, a Democrat in his first term, said last week.

While House Democrats have not released legislation specifically on police recruiting, the DFL has proposed $100 million that funds community violence prevention groups, police officers who walk the beat, and investigators. 

During a House Public Safety committee hearing on that legislation, the head of Minnesota's police officer standards board said the state needed to streamline its law enforcement application process.

"We do have a problem," said Erik Misselt, executive director of the Minnesota Peace Officer Standards and Training Board. "While we in law enforcement and former law enforcement like myself like to think we are special, we are not in terms of the hiring (shortage) – this is happening across all sectors, private and public."