Skip to content

Monday, Jan. 27, 2025

Did Minneapolis end 2024 with more police than it started with for the first time in five years?

Winter Keefer, MinnPost
yes

Bucking a trend seen across the country in recent years, the Minneapolis Police Department ended 2024 with more police officers than it started with. This marked the first year the department has seen an increase in officers since 2019. 

The department ended the year with a net gain of 36 sworn-in officers, according to an email communication by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. Additionally, there was a year-over-year 133% increase in applicants looking to join the department. 

Most major U.S. cities have struggled with recruitment and retention of police officers due to retirements and reduced interest in law enforcement. In a weekly newsletter, Frey attributed this increase to aggressive recruitment strategies and the city’s new police contract, which was adopted in July 2024. The new contract gave officers an historic 21.7% salary increase over three years and made Minneapolis police officers among the highest-paid officers in the state, with salaries starting at $90,000.

See a full discussion of this at MinnPost

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

About fact briefs

Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.

See all fact briefs

MinnPost is an independent, nonprofit newsroom that produces thoughtful, in-depth journalism about civic and cultural affairs impacting Minnesota. Through our reporting, we take readers beyond the headlines and deep into the issues that matter through our public-service journalism, empowering them to engage in the politics and policy-making shaping Minnesota’s future.

Learn More

Latest Fact Briefs

Was Prince a trained ballet dancer?

Wednesday, Mar. 19, 2025

Be a Friend of facts

Help us fund more great fact briefs like this one.