Brooklyn Center Police Department needs more patrol officers, report says

The Brooklyn Center Police Department should hire up to 16 patrol officers, two patrol sergeants and additional detectives to reduce staff workload and combat emotional exhaustion among employees.

Those are among 26 recommendations included in a 90-page report from the National Policing Institute, a nonprofit research firm the city hired to conduct a labor study and organizational assessment.

The Institute interviewed and surveyed police department employees and conducted a quantitative analysis to compile its report, which Cmdr. Tony Gruenig called "a good blueprint and road map to start working on some changes for the department" while presenting the report to the City Council on July 24.

The police department has been understaffed since former officer Kimberly Potter shot Daunte Wright, an unarmed Black man, during a traffic stop in April 2021. In the months following, numerous officers and non-sworn employees resigned, and "the ones that remained felt they were under increased scrutiny," the report said.

Brooklyn Center has 20 patrol officers, six fewer than what the department is authorized for and 16 fewer than the report recommends. Adding officers would provide adequate time for problem solving, training and vacation time, the report said.

According to the report, low staffing led many employees — sworn and non-sworn — to experience stress. About half of the officers surveyed said they experienced a "high degree of emotional exhaustion" because of their work and stress related to the amount of work they have. More than half of officers said they were considering quitting law enforcement altogether.

At the same time, employees said they felt working in law enforcement "is a noble profession in which they take pride," the report said.

The north metro suburb of about 32,000 has been working to remake its police department in the wake of the fatal police shootings of Wright and Kobe Dimock-Heisler in 2019. The city established the Daunte Wright and Kobe Dimock-Heisler Community Safety and Violence Prevention Implementation Committee to help lead reforms.

The committee proposed measures that include using social workers and other trained professionals to respond to medical, mental health and social needs calls that don't require police. The city is working with Hennepin County to have social workers and medical professionals respond to those types of calls and hopes to roll that out in 2024, Gruenig said.

Police are no longer making arrests for low-level offenses, but the city is still working on a plan for what types of offenses would lead to a traffic stop. Under the proposal, officers would no longer be able to stop drivers solely for violations such as having inoperative windshield wipers, a cracked windshield, excessive window tinting, a noisy muffler, an improperly displayed or expired license plate or permit sticker, or for having broken or improperly used headlights, tail lights or turn signals.

"We are still working through those points," Gruenig said.

Other recommendations in the report include expanding the department's employee wellness program, developing a comprehensive crime-reduction strategy in collaboration with the community, and launching programs to foster positive interactions between the community and police, rather than just interacting with the public while on calls.

"When you have enough staff to do community engagement routinely, you ingrain that into the culture of the police department," Gruenig said.