It’s basically official now: For the foreseeable future, Minneapolis police officers working in the southeastern quarter of the city will have their headquarters downtown – just outside the geographic boundaries of the actual Third Police Precinct, whose police station burned during the 2020 unrest.
Minneapolis City Council members gave their unanimous blessing Tuesday afternoon to the purchase of three additional floors of the Century Plaza building on South 12th Street. The city is already redeveloping the building’s first two floors to house the First Police Precinct, and will begin work redeveloping the newly-purchased space for the Third Precinct and for a few other city uses once the transaction is finalized.
Redeveloping the building for both police precincts – each of which will have their own, dedicated spaces – will cost an estimated $41 million. The Third Precinct portion of the project will cost roughly $25 million, though city officials hope to qualify for $11 million in reimbursement from federal emergency relief funds.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Council President Andrea Jenkins first pitched this downtown “co-location” plan in July as a compromise. The proposal acknowledged widespread backlash against earlier proposals to rebuild at or near the site of the former Third Precinct headquarters, while also addressing the police department’s urgent need for purpose-built space. (To give an idea: the Third Precinct’s current temporary offices near City Hall only have one shower.)
Minneapolis officials have not ruled out constructing a new headquarters within the Third Precinct’s geographic boundaries, though the City Council has since voted not to rebuild the burned-out former headquarters. Still, the plans coming together for the Century Plaza site paint the clearest, starkest picture yet that police personnel won’t have headquarters in southeast Minneapolis anytime soon.
If all goes according to plan, city staff said Third Precinct personnel will be able to occupy the Century Plaza space in January 2025, just a few months after the First Precinct moves in.
“The move to Century Plaza is not short-term,” said Barbara O’Brien, the city’s director of property services, echoing prior statements by Frey and Jenkins. “There are a lot of things that are still being understood about what policing will look like in five years, 10 years … so the Third Precinct will co-locate with the First Precinct at least for a period of time while we, the city, work through what do precincts really look like.”
The city has already purchased 38,000 square feet on Century Plaza’s lower level and first floor that will house the First Precinct as well as some Downtown Improvement District functions and the police’s Bicycle Rapid Response Team.
Now, the city is poised to purchase another 57,000 square feet in the building. On the third and fourth floors will be the Third Precinct’s interview rooms, offices, roll call space, storage, a command center and “community engagement spaces.” The city will also buy the building’s second floor and will decide how to fill the space in the coming months.
The city is also agreeing to double the number of parking spaces it’s leasing in the adjoined garage. The rest of the Century Plaza building is being developed as a hotel, but the city will own a portion of the building under a condo agreement. (The city will own its square footage in the building, but not the property itself.)
Council members must technically hear the proposal one final time at their regular meeting on Thursday before the proposal advances the mayor’s office for Frey’s signature.
How can community policing succeed if the police base is not in the community?
Yes, officers in cars can be throughout the precinct, but if MPD is serious about being FOR and WITH the community, seems they would want a base inside the community that could become a welcoming place for events, education, conversations, etc.
I just do not understand how the City Council would allow this.
Don’t blame the police because the activists and their council allies don’t want it there.
There is not the Third precinct geography
There is site of the burned out hulk of the old one
Oh, and the site of the new home? Old Minneapolis Vocational high school. We owned it, sold it, buying it back.
I’m sure that will not happen again in the future given the far sighted wisdom of the current city council.
City council, the cost of complying with all these micro minority activist demands will bankrupt the city, (and the police will truly be de-funded) you all seem to be in favor of that! Aren’t you a little tired of rolling over to all these radical demands? These decisions last decades, you think moving the 3rd down town is a good 50 year solution?
It’s hard to believe $25million isn’t enough to locate the cops in the precint they serve.
Hatred is alive and well in Mpls government- how sad.
Getting to know people breaks down barriers. History has proved this over and over.
Who is going to pay for the additional cost in travel time- labor and fuel for starters?
I do not condone continuing the era of hatred like was inflicted on George Floyd. IT IS TIME TO STOP HATING.
MPD personnel all commute in from their homes in Stearns and Anoka counties. The precinct building being 800 yards from the 3rd precinct boundary is unlikely to make much difference in terms of “community.”
Maybe after they move into their new space the police can figure out who burned their old police station and arrest a few of the “peaceful protesters”. Taxpayers can only take so much financial nonsense and it is reaching a boiling point in Mpls.
At least four have pleaded guilty to federal arson counts.
“Unrest?” It was an insurrection.
Is it reaching a boiling point? Minnesotans seem to have an endless supply of tolerance for nonsense, financial and otherwise.
“Taxpayers can only take so much financial nonsense and it is reaching a boiling point in Mpls.”
On what do you base this statement? Last I heard, you don’t even live in minnesota, much less minneapolis.
Sorry Brian, been in Minnesota for over 6 decades and Minneapolis for 40 years. Paid more than my fair share of taxes and still am today. Unfortunately I have also seen the city and state go down the drain due to progressive liberal policies and control. This boondoggle is just another massive waste of taxpayer dollars.
We’ve had different experiences. I moved to Minneapolis in the ‘murderapolis’ days. Oh the hand wringing! The doom and gloom! 27 years later, the same complaints. Then, like now, there are few neighborhoods I would avoid.
Fargo needs and wants you.
Where are they going to get people stupid enough to occupy those offices? The city is an absolute free for all, without any repercussions at all, *except* for the cops. And those repercussions are harsh beyond comprehension.
Seriously, what person in their right mind would sign up to police Minneapolis under the current regime?