Twin Cities police increasing visibility during first week of school

In the wake of last week's mass shooting at Annunciation Church, police in Minneapolis and St. Paul are ramping up their presence at public and private schools in an effort to ease community concerns. FOX 9's Rob Olson has the story.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - In the wake of last week's mass shooting at Annunciation Church, St. Paul Police are ramping up their presence at public and private schools, in an effort to ease community concerns.

"After what happened last week, it’s just one thing that we have in our control to try to make people feel comfortable and safe," St. Paul Police Deputy Chief Curtis Hallstrom said.

St. Paul Police will deploy uniformed officers and marked squad cars at about 160 public, private, and charter schools across the capitol city.

"This was an opportunity for us to do something other than respond after something has happened," Hallstrom said.

The officers won’t be stationed at every building at once, but students, families, and staff can expect to see a law enforcement presence throughout the school day.

"There will be enough officers out there. They might not be at your school, but they will be down the block. They’ll be around the corner," Hallstrom explained.

Hallstrom emphasized that this is an all-hands-on-deck effort. Investigative units will pause their early morning routes to suit up for school patrols during the first hour of their shifts.

Minneapolis also boosts visibility

Increased police patrols on first day of school

The Minneapolis Police Department is increasing patrols around area schools on Tuesday, which marks the first day of school. This comes after the Annunciation mass shooting last week. FOX 9's Se Kwon spoke with Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara about the department's plans.

What you need to know:

Across the river, Minneapolis officials are implementing a similar strategy.

"We will have a substantially increased presence of law enforcement officers," Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said.

"We are looking to spread them as widely as we can — public schools, private schools, charter schools — we are going to do the best we can," Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara added.

Timeline:

St. Paul’s increased visibility plan will continue through the end of this week, while Minneapolis will maintain their heightened patrols for up to two weeks.

Officials from both cities say they hope this visible commitment to safety can help ease anxiety among students, families, and school staff as the academic year begins.

"We have a strong desire that the school year goes off safe and secure… and the kids are able to enjoy the school year without having to worry about events like the tragedy that happened last week," Hallstrom finished.