Minneapolis City Council unanimously approves ordinance allowing city to collect fees for MPD off-duty work

Had this ordinance been in effect last year, it could have saved taxpayers up to $1.4 million

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On Jan. 30, 2025, the Minneapolis City Council passed an ordinance to allow the city to collect fees for the use of public property by MPD officers when they conduct off-duty work, saving taxpayers an estimated $1.4 million annually. The ordinance, authored by Council President Payne and Council Member Wonsley has been years in the making and passed unanimously.
The real test for the bill will be in May, when MPD returns to city council with a proposed fee structure. This change was recommended by the Department of Justice, who believed the old system “undermines supervision at MPD.” In May, the council will have the chance to approve a fee structure so that the city can begin collecting fees and taxpayers can begin to see the benefits, explained Mpls for the Many in a press release.
Mpls for the Many Chair Chelsea McFarren had this to say about today’s Council vote: “This is the kind of common-sense public safety reform that our communities have been demanding for years. It’s no surprise that this work was led by the City Council, who have remained steadfast in their commitment to building a comprehensive public safety system. Unfortunately, Mayor Frey still has no vision and no plan for public safety in Minneapolis. For all his talk about being the only adult in the room, he’s the kind of adult who is always conspicuously absent when there’s work to be done. As the sole person in charge of MPD, Mayor Frey has had years to implement reform, but the real work, like today’s off-duty ordinance, has been done by city council.”

In his e-newsletter, Ward 9 Council Member Jason Chavez wrote: "I was proud to stand with my colleagues to discuss the action we took today to approve an ordinance enabling the City to charge fees on off-duty work by MPD officers. This action was the first significant reform to the off-duty program in decades. MPD’s off-duty program allows officers to work private and largely unregulated side jobs using city cars, uniforms, materials, and liability coverage. The off-duty program is unique within the city enterprise.
"I keep coming back to a rhetorical question asked by my colleague, Council Member Wonsley, who, along with Council President Elliott Payne, was the lead author on this ordinance: Imagine if we let public works staff take a road plow home with them after-hours to use as a side hustle and didn’t charge them for it?
"MPD’s off-duty program has been recognized as fundamentally inequitable by the United States Department of Justice. The ordinance we passed allows the city to charge fees to recoup the costs of the materials used by officers when working off-duty, as well as offset the costs of administration liability coverage. Estimates using MPD data indicate that such fees could have recouped up to $1.4 million in 2024
For years, small business owners have raised concerns about the extreme lack of regulation on off-duty work and the possibility for corruption. City leaders have spoken publicly about their concerns with off-duty since at least 2019, when MPD officer Mohamed Noor shot and killed a resident named Justine Ruszczyk after working off-duty and starting his on-duty work with very little sleep. A 2019 internal audit of the off-duty program led to clear and actionable recommendations, which were never implemented. Mayor Frey convened an Off-duty Task Force in 2020, but the group ceased meeting without any outcomes.
"Inequitable programs like off-duty are barriers to a citywide community safety system that serves all residents, regardless of race, income or neighborhood. This ordinance is one more step towards creating safe and thriving communities that residents deserve. We’re in a moment when the mayor is raising our residents’ property taxes while, at the same time, the city is doling out millions in overtime and worker’s comp payments to officers. With these dynamics at play, charging a small fee for the use of city resources can only be seen as reasonable."

From Ward 7 Council member Katie Cashman's e-newsletter: "City leaders have spoken publicly about their concerns with off-duty since at least 2019, when MPD officer Mohamed Noor shot and killed a resident named Justine Ruszczyk after working off-duty and starting his on-duty work with very little sleep. A 2019 internal audit of off-duty work led to clear and actionable recommendations, which were never implemented. Mayor Frey convened an Off-duty Task Force in 2020, but the group ceased meeting without any outcomes.  Improving supervision is a significant element of the U.S. DOJ’s Consent Decree. Council voted unanimously as a body earlier this month to adopt the consent decree and committed to work in partnership with the Mayor to implement reforms like this one as quickly and effectively as possible."

From Ward 2 Council member Robin Wonsley's e-newsletter: "MPD’s off-duty program allows officers to work private side jobs using city cars, uniforms, and materials. The ordinance would allow the city to charge fees to recoup costs of all city resources used by officers when working off-duty, as well as offset the costs of administration and any other program costs borne by taxpayers. 

"For decades, both subject matter experts and directly impacted residents have been telling city leaders that MPD’s off-duty system is ripe for corruption and is a bad deal for residents. Small business owners have spoken publicly about the financial exploitation and discrimination they face in the off-duty system. In 2023, the US Department of Justice outlined how MPD’s off-duty program is fundamentally inequitable in an investigation in MPD. City leaders have spoken publicly about their concerns with off-duty since at least 2019, when MPD officer Mohamed Noor shot and killed a resident named Justine Ruszczyk after working off-duty and starting his on-duty work with very little sleep. A 2019 internal audit of off-duty led to clear and actionable recommendations, which were never implemented. Mayor Frey convened an Off-duty Task Force in 2020, but the group ceased meeting without any outcomes. 

"Yet despite the clear need to rein in off-duty, there has been a lack of political will by city leadership to implement significant regulations. This inaction has had a high cost to residents. Analysis by city staff in August 2024 determined that a $19/hour fee for use of a squad car would be consistent with vehicle costs, which could have recouped the city up to $1.4 million in 2024. 

"I want to outline the next steps that will be coming forward as I and my co-author, Council President Payne, continue the urgently needed work of regulating off-duty. President Payne and I authored a legislative directive requesting a comprehensive fee study, which MPD will present a response to by May 1. This fee study will provide updated figures for the full cost of vehicles, materials, uniforms, administration, and any other costs that taxpayers currently subsidize in off-duty work. With these updated figures, Council can amend the fee schedule and implement fees on off-duty work to begin being implemented on January 1, 2026."

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