In the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd in 2020, elected officials across the state vowed to make changes to policies and practices that govern interactions with police. From a statewide ban on chokeholds to the removal of student resource officers (SROs) in St. Paul Public Schools, policies were implemented to reduce harm and instill trust within the Black community.
One Minneapolis suburb has found success by focusing on initiatives that cultivate relationships, trust, wellness, and accessibility in unprecedented ways.
The Brooklyn Park Police Department (BPPD) launched several initiatives aimed at improving interactions between police and community members. In 2023, BPPD launched an Alternative Response Team (ART), the first of its kind. This team, comprised of social workers and health care professionals, responds to 911 calls related to mental health crises. After the initial call, ART follows up to continue providing support and ongoing resources, setting this program apart from similar initiatives launched elsewhere throughout the state.
“They don’t just handle the situation at the moment,” says Elliot Faust, Brooklyn Park police precinct inspector and public information officer. Faust says this has resulted in a decrease in mental health-related calls as social workers and paramedics show up on the scene, take more time to assess what’s needed, and continue providing care after the fact.
The wellness and mental health needs of Brooklyn Park officers are also of the utmost priority. Police officers are prohibited from working over-long hours that lead to burnout and are provided with proper mental health support. “If they’re not well, they’re not going to treat the citizens well,” Faust says.
The cultivation of relationships has proven beneficial. After the murder of Daunte Wright in neighboring Brooklyn Center, Faust states that there was a need to build police legitimacy and double down on community engagement. Instead of officers solely showing up when called upon, Brooklyn Park police have focused their efforts on showing up in the community to build trust and relationships with residents.
“So the same officer playing basketball with the kids during the day is the same officer responding in the middle of the night,” Faust says.
This has led to an increase in the reporting of crimes like domestic violence that often went unreported due to the community’s lack of trust in law enforcement. Community members are also encouraged to sign up for Tip411, a nonemergency service in which residents can anonymously report crime and receive alerts regarding public safety incidents. Residents can choose their neighborhoods of interest to receive email or text messages from the Police Department when reports are made in those areas.
Adesaogun states other notable changes in how police conduct investigations have had a positive impact on the community, including BPPD’s shift in the use of its K9 units. “They are no longer being used to pursue individuals but are being fully utilized for other kinds of detection,” Adesaogun says. The city also offers in-house training to new cadets that Adesaogun credits as a major recruitment asset.
“We’ve seen a big increase in officers of color as well as increased [numbers of] women choosing to enter the law enforcement field because of this offering,” Adesaogun says.
BPPD also developed plans for a first-of-its-kind youth violence intervention initiative. This Community Intervention Unit, led by City of Brooklyn Park Community Intervention Manager LaTreasure Dickson, will focus on reducing juvenile crime by connecting at-risk youth with essential resources in areas of the city that are experiencing the highest crime rates. This nine-person unit will focus on building positive relationships with youth and providing alternatives to involvement with the justice system.
The unit is actively recruiting and is preparing to launch soon. Members of the Community Intervention Unit will function more like case workers than police officers to connect youth offenders to mental health services, sports programs, and other resources to address the root causes of juvenile crime.
“It is important for CIU to assess and refer programming to reduce the number of youth engaging in violent crime and minimize arrests and incarcerations, while also decreasing the number of people who become victims of violent crime,” Dickson said. “Our primary objective is to reduce violence in the city. This unit is intended to help strengthen the positive relationships between law enforcement and the communities it serves, which will benefit the community greatly.”
Although facing challenges as a smaller city with fewer resources, Brooklyn Park is taking a holistic approach to the health of families, engaging with other divisions within the city to develop programming. Among them: partnering with nonprofits like Good in the ’Hood to distribute food to low-income families.
Although such work isn’t traditionally seen as a public safety issue, the city considers it part of the overall ecosystem needed for the community to thrive. The effort is led by Kevin Currington, a prevention and intervention specialist within the youth services division of the city’s Parks and Recreation Department.
“About a year ago we started this partnership, and now we supply food to nearly 400 families each month,” Currington says. “I also engage in intervention work that offers community-based programs focused on advocacy, education, counseling and mentoring through referral services for youth and their families facing personal, family, school, legal, hunger, or substance-related issues.”
Margaret Sullivan welcomes reader responses to msullivan@spokesman-recorder.com.