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Minneapolis is attempting to raise recruitment numbers for the city's police department and 911 dispatch center amid a shortage of both roles.
"Police are short staffed and everybody is short staffed," Minneapolis-based 911 dispatcher Emily Harmon told KARE 11 in an interview Friday.
Harmon explained that callers have been "unhappy" with the long wait times for police and other first responders to reach them.
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Minneapolis is attempting to raise recruitment numbers for the city's police department and 911 dispatch center amid a shortage of both roles. (Getty Images)
In response to the growing police staffing crisis, Minneapolis is paying Accenture, a consulting firm, "$950,000 for the campaign, part of a $7 million grant from the federal American Rescue Plan that will be used for recruitment and retention, according to contract documents approved by the City Council last fall," according to The Star Tribune.
The title of the campaign is "Imagine Yourself."
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey spoke about the new initiative at a recent press conference.
"This campaign is comprehensive. It's full throated and it's a full-court press to make sure that we are getting the necessary police officers into MPD and that we are getting 911 dispatchers as well," Frey said, explaining that the campaign will utilize "everything from ads on social media, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube to commercials on the air to billboards."
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The Minneapolis Police Department said Monday that it will beef up patrols in the area and deploy "specialty units" in the neighborhood in an effort to prevent further crime, according to KTSP-TV. (AFP via Getty Images)
Other local officials touted the campaign to the public.
"'911, what's the address of your emergency?'... We're looking for individuals who can imagine themselves saying those words," Minneapolis Emergency Call Center Director Joni Hodne said during a news conference. "Imagine that they're the first people someone talks to when they're having an emergency. They're the first link that brings calm to a person in the worst time of their lives."
The Star Tribune reported that recruitment numbers, especially for police, have been down in Minneapolis.
"Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said the department hired 40 officers in 2023, which did not keep pace with attrition. But O'Hara expressed optimism that recruiting is turning a corner, predicting Minneapolis will be ‘the greatest law enforcement comeback story in America,’" according to the report.
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Frey's office, the Police Department, the 911 Department and Accenture did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
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