Voters need more info on policing

Minneapolis residents soon will be expected to vote on a charter amendment that could fundamentally reshape public safety in the city. The sweeping proposal would disband the Minneapolis Police Department and replace it with a public safety department whose size, scope and structure is not yet known.

If there were ever a proposal that could stand a little extra explanation with the ballot question, it's this one. To be clear, the Star Tribune Editorial Board has not yet taken a position for or against the amendment. That will come later, after additional research and a judge's decision on the ballot question's wording.

For now, like responsible voters, we seek additional guidance and clarity about the potentially far-reaching impact of this proposal.

Yes 4 Minneapolis, the campaign behind the effort to replace the Police Department, alleges that the city clerk's office was attempting to influence voters with "subjective" and "selective" language in the note that is to accompany the ballot question. In its lawsuit against the city, Yes 4 Minneapolis called the explanatory note "unreasonable" and "unnecessary."

As it stands, the basic structure of the police department, chain of authority and even mandated minimums of police officers tied to population are all laid out in the city charter.

The ballot question asks whether that charter should be amended to replace the Police Department with a public safety department that uses a comprehensive public health approach and that would employ licensed peace officers "if necessary." Ballot questions, of necessity, must be short to be comprehensible.

But this is simply too little information on which to base such a significant, complex decision.

The explanatory note written by City Attorney Jim Rowader adds just such important information. It states that the amendment would remove the Police Department and police chief from the charter, to be replaced by a new department led not by a police chief but by a commissioner. The mayor's sole authority over police and their chief would end.

The mayor could nominate a commissioner, but the City Council would appoint the person, with that 13-member body sharing oversight duties jointly with the mayor. The note further states that the council would no longer be required to fund a mandated minimum number of officers. The amendment also would remove council authority to raise additional property taxes to help fund a police force.

Those are all simple statements of fact, vital to understanding the implications of making such a fundamental change to the way public safety services are delivered. Rowader, speaking to an editorial writer, said that in writing the note he and his team were guided by the ballot question itself, attempting to provide factual information that would inform citizens without bias.

"You can draw a straight line from the note back to the ballot question and petition" that prompted the amendment, he said. As for Yes 4 Minneapolis' contention that the council lacks the authority to include such a note, Rowader said his team relied on multiple opinions from attorneys general that establish such authority.

"Just because it hasn't been done in Minneapolis doesn't mean it hasn't been done," Rowader said. "These were extraordinary circumstances." Rowader noted that the council voted 12-1 to adopt the ballot question and its accompanying note. "We believe the council, as the governing body for the city, has that authority," he said.

We hope the decision will comes down in favor of greater explanation. Voters should have all the facts available to them as they make this important decision on the city's future and their own safety.

The ballot title and question approved by the City Council reads as follows:

Department of Public Safety

Shall the Minneapolis City Charter be amended to strike and replace the Police Department with a Department of Public Safety that employs a comprehensive public health approach, and which would include licensed peace officers (police officers) if necessary, to fulfill its responsibilities for public safety, with the general nature of the amendments being briefly indicated in the explanatory note below, which is made part of this ballot?

Yes ___

Explanatory Note:

This amendment would create a new Department of Public Safety, which would: (1) Combine public safety functions of the City of Minneapolis into a comprehensive public health approach to safety, with the specific public safety functions to be determined.

(2) Include licensed peace officers (police officers) if necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of the Department of Public Safety

(3) Be led by a Commissioner of Public Safety. The appointment process for the Commissioner would include a Mayor nomination and a City Council appointment. The Mayor would not have complete power over the establishment, maintenance, and command of the Department of Public Safety.

This amendment would also do the following:

(2) Remove the City Council requirement to fund a police force of at least 1.7 employees per 1,000 residents.