Minneapolis City Council approves police budget cuts, staffing levels unchanged

The Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously to move almost $8 million from next year’s police department budget and redirect it to mental health services and other local initiatives.Some $7.7 million of the department’s $179 million budget will go toward mental health teams, violence prevention initiatives, as well as other programs. Funds will also be used to increase “capacity within the Civil Rights Department’s Office of Police Conduct…