Minneapolis mayor, council to hold public safety forums

Minneapolis elected officials will hold two special meetings in the next two weeks to hear from residents on improving community safety in the city.

Mayor Jacob Frey and Council President Lisa Bender will attend the meetings, joining the Public Safety & Emergency Management Committee, which is chaired by Council Member Alondra Cano.

The first meeting will be Wednesday at 5 p.m. at the Minneapolis Public Schools' Davis Center at 1250 W. Broadway Av. in north Minneapolis. The second meeting will be April 10 at 5 p.m. at the Sabathani Center, 310 E. 38th St., in south Minneapolis. Both will be official meetings of the committee away from City Hall.

"The idea of bringing City Hall to our neighborhoods is something we're all pretty excited about," Cano said. "Folks that attend should expect to be in a very interactive environment with elected officials and their neighbors and department heads."

Attendees at the two forums will break off into groups of eight to discuss public safety in the city and what they think the city's priorities should be. City officials will be sprinkled into groups throughout the room.

Cano said the discussion will inform the police and fire departments' four-year plans, which are being formulated right now, and the City Council's priorities over the next year.