Senator Julie Rosen (R-Fairmont) and Senate Republicans rolled out a $65 million C.O.P.S. Program, which stands for “Creating Opportunities in Public Safety.” The proposals focus on recruitment to address the peace officer shortage affecting the entire state. The six different bills help young people get their degree in law enforcement, provide opportunities for nontraditional entrants into policing, and fund a marketing campaign as well as continuing education to highlight the honorable profession and long-term benefits of a career in law enforcement.
“You can only assail the police for so long before there are serious consequences,” said Sen. Rosen. “That’s what we are seeing now: crime is spiking, especially violent crime, and departments are struggling to find new officers. We need to get back on the right track. These bills will help us strengthen our police presence across the state.”
Across the nation, law enforcement positions are opening up faster than they can be replaced by retirement or resignation. In 2021 alone, The Star Tribune reported Minnesota saw 32 Police Chiefs retire. The Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Board Job board shows openings for licensed peace officers in at least 65 agencies. Minneapolis and St. Paul have nearly 300 open positions to fill as of last month.
The Senate Republican C.O.P.S Program includes the following legislation:
- Public Awareness Campaign To Elevate Law Enforcement As Profession: $1 million will be provided for the Department of Public Safety to develop and conduct an advertising campaign to elevate the law enforcement profession. After aggressive efforts to defund and demoralize police officers, it’s time we spread the word of the good work law enforcement officers do every day to keep our communities safe, and of the rewarding and honorable nature of a career in law enforcement.
- Workforce Scholarships For Minnesota State Students Seeking Degrees in Law Enforcement: $20 million in new funds will be allocated to the Workforce Scholarship Program aimed at increasing enrollment in associate degree programs in law enforcement. Drastic drops in enrollment in these important programs show a need for targeted dollars to allow campuses across the state to recruit local students who can meet POST Board requirements and become police officers in our communities.
- Additional Financial Aid For Students Pursuing Law Enforcement Degrees: $20 million will be provided for students across Minnesota who are pursuing degrees in law enforcement. The grant would be $1,500 per year for up to 2 years for eligible recipients. This additional financial aid will help get even more students into law enforcement programs.
- Pathways to Policing: $1.5 million will be allocated to the award-winning Pathways to Policing Program to support non-traditional candidates for law enforcement who already have an associate’s degree in another discipline. This provides new resources for an existing, proven program to reimburse agencies up to 50% of the costs for a non-traditional candidate to complete an alternative education program to become a licensed peace officer in the state of Minnesota.
- Education Reimbursement: $2.5 million will be allocated to provide up to $5,000 in tuition reimbursements for recently licensed peace officers and those currently in the pipeline to become officers. Once an officer has gone through the education requirements and put in one year of time with an agency and remain in good standing, they will be eligible for the tuition and postsecondary fees reimbursement.
Bonuses for New Hires In Policing: $20 million will be allocated to provide bonuses of up to $10,000 for newly hired peace officers across Minnesota. The bonuses may only be awarded after an officer has served a year with the hiring agency and may only be used for newly licensed peace officers. Right now, peace officers across the state are overstretched and burning out, and the most important thing we can do to relieve that burden is increase the number of officers across the state.