Minneapolis Police Department leaders appeared before the City Council’s Public Health and Safety Committee Thursday during a virtual meeting asking them to authorize $5 million for department overtime out of reserves.
The city council budgeted $3.5 million for overtime costs during 2021.
Through the end of May, MPD has used $5.2 million in overtime, with $2.9 million spent during Operation Safety Net surrounding the Derek Chauvin trial, KTSP reports.
The city council previously set aside $5 million in a reserve fund, but that required Chief Medaria Arradondo to come back to the council for approval.
MPD said a surge in crime, including an increase in gunshot victims in the city this year compared to last, is draining resources and requiring longer investigator call-outs.