Minneapolis council debates $300K federal grant for police technology
Minneapolis council debates $300K federal grant for police technology
The Minneapolis City Council approved a request to apply for a $300,000 federal grant to upgrade police ballistic technology on a 7-5 vote Thursday. Some council members raised concerns about accepting Department of Justice money and possible ties to federal immigration enforcement. FOX 9's Karen Scullin has the story.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Minneapolis leaders debated Thursday whether to accept federal funding for police technology, highlighting tensions over trust in the federal government.
Council debates federal grant for police ballistic system
What we know:
The Minneapolis Police Department asked the City Council for permission to apply for a $300,000 grant from the Department of Justice. The money would be used to upgrade the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, or NIBIN, which helps investigators link guns and shell casings to violent crimes.
Debate over federal grant for Minneapolis police
The Minneapolis City Council debated over excepting a grant from the Department of Justice for a ballistics program. FOX 9's Karen Scullin has more.
Some council members, including Jason Chavez, voiced concerns that accepting the grant could force the city to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.
"That is what my actual concern is if the federal government is going to expect us to do federal immigration enforcement, that is a concern that I have. And if we ask them, they will say we have to if we accept this grant, I bet," said Chavez.
Assistant City Attorney Amy Schutt told the council that her review found nothing in the grant application requiring the city to violate its separation ordinance or participate in immigration enforcement.
"It is my opinion upon doing that review, that there is nothing in this no flow or in our application to this no flow that would require us to violate the separation ordinance to perform any kind of ICE enforcement or to otherwise, require staff to act in a way that is antithetical to the values of the city," said Schutt.
Council members also discussed concerns about some of the language in the grant and whether the city should look for funding elsewhere.
Police technology helps solve cases, bring justice
The backstory:
NIBIN has been used for years to help police solve violent crimes by matching evidence from gunfire scenes. When shots are fired, shell casings and confiscated guns can be processed through NIBIN to see if they are linked to other crimes.
Police say upgrading the NIBIN system is important to continue solving cases and bringing justice to families affected by gun violence.
"This is really about bringing answers to families who have cried out for far too long about wanting justice for their loved ones who have lost their lives due to acts of gun violence. And that's where I have to sit with that," said Pearll Warren, council member.
Some council members suggested the police department could fund the upgrade without federal help.
"There is $300,000 in the couch cushion. In this city, the Harley Davidson’s alone. Let's sell those guys and then we can have this fully-funded," said Soren Stevenson, council member.
"Half of that three-and-a-half days of overtime could pay for this entire project. You have the money, find it somewhere else," said Aisha Chughtai, council member.
Despite the concerns, the council approved the request to apply for the grant in a 7-5 vote.
‘Voting this down will only hurt us’
Local perspective:
Council member Jamal Osman said, "So my final comment is that, colleagues, we can be angry with the federal government, the way they treat people, the language they use. But, voting down this will only hurt us and hurt, not benefit. The work we're trying to do, which is, to accept this grant so we can do better processing on criminal activity."
The decision means the city will move forward with the grant application, hoping to secure federal funds for the police department's technology upgrade.
What's next:
The city will submit its application for the Department of Justice grant. If approved, the $300,000 would be used to modernize the NIBIN system and help police continue linking guns to violent crimes.
What we don't know:
It is not yet clear when the Department of Justice will decide on the grant application or how quickly the NIBIN system could be upgraded if the money is awarded. It is also unknown whether any future federal grants might include different requirements.