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Justice & Public Safety

News Bites: Minnesota Immigrants, ICE, and Politics

A noise demonstration is scheduled in Albert Lea Sunday on behalf of a 23-year-old man with serious health issues who has been in ICE-related detention for 14 months. And Keith Ellison updates campaign volunteers on cases against ICE agents.
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DEEP DIVE: The Values of Trust, Data, and Strategy in Solving Violent Crimes

With the Minneapolis police budget under scrutiny for effectiveness commensurate with dollars spent, analysis of how Saint Paul public safety programs have been effective in some ways as a comparison, and the Hennepin County attorney election in play, I revisited notes from a conference held a year ago by the Minnesota Justice Research Center titled “Committing to Progress in Policing.”
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EXPLAINER: Minneapolis Policing Budget (updated 10/15)

As Minneapolis faces proposed property tax increases amounting to 11.3 percent — alongside cuts to public services, park hours, and municipal positions — public debate has intensified over funding priorities and fiscal oversight. Mayor Jacob Frey’s proposed budget allocates $246.8 million to the Minneapolis Police Department — more than the combined budgets of the Fire, Public Works, and Health departments. Of every $1,000 in 2027 property taxes, about $223 goes to policing.
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Ogow Xuquuqdaada: Qoyskaaga Ma Ogyahay Waxa La Sameynayo?

The Somali language version of the "Know Your Rights" story we published earlier this year for social sharing.
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DEEP DIVE: How Public Safety Is Served by Appropriate Response Teams

  Alexis Yeboah reported in an October story about…
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Commentary: Listening to Minnesota Students Discuss 2026 Legislative Priorities

Roughly 70 mostly high school students from around the state assembled for the third annual Youth Summit held in the House chambers at the Minnesota state capitol — a caucus for youth leading each other in small group discussions about education, gun violence, housing, and mental health.
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Calls for Accountability After Domestic Violence Killings in Minneapolis

"Black and brown women are often not seen as victims." They are "less likely to be believed, less likely to be protected, and more likely to be blamed for their abuse."
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RESOURCE: Extreme Risk Protection Orders, what it does and who it might be for

The Hennepin County attorney's office has created a toolkit to help people understand the value of Extreme Risk Protection Orders, and the warning signs that might require it.
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Q&A: Why Does Saint Paul Have Dramatically Less Gun Violence Than Minneapolis?

Currently, Saint Paul is sitting at only eight homicides this year, which is incredible — and four of those were gun related.
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How Rochester and Duluth Respond to Mental Health and Substance Use Calls

“Ultimately the goal for us is to not have police officers involved with every single psych event or mental health crisis that goes on here in the city,” says Captain Jennifer Hodgman of the Community Services Division in the Rochester Police Department (RPD).
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A Civil Conversation in Grand Rapids About Firearms

“Walking on school property is [now sometimes] more dangerous than walking in the woods. … I don’t understand why people think guns are the way to solve a problem.”
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RESOURCE: Talking Points About Guns

"People talk about their right to own these weapons. Well, I would argue that those kids at Annunciation have a right to go to church and not be shot at." If you want to understand some of the data, and viewpoints from those engaged in public safety, we have compiled a few news items here.
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What to Know About ERPOs (“Red Flag” Laws)

The goal of ERPOs isn’t gun control. “We have decades and decades of research about risk and about lethality, and it’s about removing the risk — in this case firearms — in this moment that exponentially increases the odds that someone is going to die in the near term.”
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How Canopy Roots Is Attempting to Rewrite Crisis Response

This is a glimpse of emergency response led by empathy, not enforcement.
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Talking to Five Senators About How to Reduce Gun Deaths in Minnesota

Erin Maye Quade shares something we heard from other Minnesota legislators: “Unless the consequence for inaction is losing your seat, I think we’re going to see more inaction. That’s the sad part. ”
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