21.7% Pay Raise For Minneapolis Police If Council Approves 3-Year Contract

MINNEAPOLIS — The city of Minneapolis and its police union have agreed to a contract that would give officers a 21.7 percent pay raise over the course of three years, officials announced Tuesday.

Members of the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis voted 301-63 in support of the agreement after nine months of bargaining.

“This agreement rightly recognizes the sacrifices they regularly make on behalf of our residents,” Chief Brian O’Hara said in a city news release.

The contract will now go before the city council. If approved, its terms would be retroactively applied as of Jan. 1, 2023, and expire Dec. 31, 2025. The pay increase would make Minneapolis one of the highest-paying police departments in Minnesota by 2025.

“After months of hard work, our negotiating team has struck a balanced agreement that will make the department a more competitive employer and provide our chief with the necessary managerial control,” Mayor Jacob Frey said in the news release. “This was an all-hands-on-deck effort, and I am hopeful that my Council colleagues will support the agreement.”

The contract would give O’Hara discretion to place an officer on paid investigatory leave for up to 180 days in cases involving allegations of severe misconduct, as opposed to the 30 days of discretion the city’s top cop has been allowed in the past.

The agreement also permits the chief and other department leaders to assign officers to the areas of greatest need and clears the city to make permanent civilian hires to assist with investigative tasks in order to allow officers to focus on “critical safety work,” according to the news release. Under the contract, department leadership would also be able to promote people based on candidate readiness as opposed to mandates.