U of M to open public safety center in Dinkytown

MINNEAPOLIS — A first-of-its-kind partnership will open its doors next week, intent on preventing crime in the neighborhoods adjacent to the University of Minnesota.

The U of M's Department of Public Safety is behind the plan, transforming the former Kitty Cat Klub one block from campus into an off-campus community safety center.

The plan has been in the works since March, after University of Minnesota police increased their partnership with Minneapolis police, with UMPD responding to 911 calls in Dinkytown.

The community safety center will take things one step further, said Nick Juarez of the U of M's Department of Public Safety.

"The significance is really a commitment from the university and the Department of Public Safety to really take a role in the safety of the Dinkytown area," Juarez said. "This will reduce opportunities for some of the crimes we've seen that happen, but it will also give us a foothold in Dinkytown to start building stronger partnerships that we already have."

The partnerships will include offering space for community crime-prevention organizations. Several have already signed on to be a presence.

The center will be open 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. weekdays, with community engagement running 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. week days and security onsite from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. The hope, Juarez said, is to expand to weekends eventually.