Minneapolis' new police contract wins city council approval

The Minneapolis City Council on Thursday voted 8-4 to approve a new contract for the city's police union .

Why it matters: The deal includes salary increases that could make MPD officers among the best-paid in the Twin Cities by next year in exchange for what even some wary council members acknowledged were historic union concessions to department management.

Friction point: Critics say the new contract still doesn't include enough permanent fixes for officer discipline concerns. They also bemoaned that new powers secured for police leadership would only be temporary.

What they're saying: Both Mayor Jacob Frey and Chief Brian O'Hara framed the vote as a turning point for the city's efforts to rebuild a depleted department, whose ranks have shrunk by one-third since 2019 .

• MPD officers "have not felt supported both by police leadership as well as by City Hall," O'Hara said Thursday, "and I think today we've turned a corner with that narrative."

Reality check: "This contract does not go nearly far enough; It really doesn't," Council President Elliott Payne — who voted yes on the agreement — said during Thursday's meeting.

• However, Payne added, the transformation of MPD "is not going to happen solely in the text of the [contract]. It's going to happen from continuous pressure" from the community.

The fine print: The deal grants O'Hara more flexibility to assign officers to duties other than patrol. It also confirms that the department can hire civilians to investigate crimes.

• City leaders say the agreement's 21.7% salary increase will help attract new officers.

The other side: Though the salary increases will last, many of these new management powers will expire at the end of 2026. "I don't see temporary gains for permanent raises as progress," said Council member Robin Wonsley, who voted no on the contract.

• Council member Jeremiah Ellison, another "no," questioned whether the raises would actually improve the department's reputation, and thus its recruiting problems.

Go deeper: Change slow to come in Minneapolis policing 4 years after George Floyd's murder