Minneapolis Mayor Frey, MPD Say There Were 610 Carjackings In 2021, Compared To 388 In 2020

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Minneapolis Mayor and Minneapolis Deputy Police Chief dropped some alarming numbers about who is committing violent crimes, including carjackings, in Minneapolis.

Mayor Jacob Frey says 75% of those committing the carjackings and other violent crimes are not first-time offenders.

In a meeting aimed at letting the community know the city is doing everything it can to fight the crime surge, Frey and Minneapolis Police Department leaders broke the numbers down.

They say that carjackings in 2020 numbered 388, compared to 610 so far in 2021. There are 39 people under the age of 18 who have been arrested three times since 2020, and there are 29 young people who have been arrested five or more times in that time span.

"This is no 'one size fits all' approach, but we are going to be working with everyone, from parole officers to community organizations, everyone from Parks and Recreation to our schools and our community," Frey said.

Some police leaders focused on what has worked; 21 Days of Peace was a program using North Minneapolis community leaders to help patrol, for instance.

"We put them in our hot spots. We had them there, and there was significant reduction in crime in those areas," said Inspector Charlie Adams.

Other precincts have doubled up on patrols, but long-time community leader Rev. Jerry McAfee said it was time for the community to accept responsibility for its troubled kids.

At the same time, all acknowledge it is People of Color who are disproportionately the victims of violence. Still, 2021 will go down as one of the most violent years in the city's history. So far this year, there have been 92 homicides in Minneapolis. The record, set 26 years ago in 1995, is 97.

The city is beginning to make a dent in replacing the more than 200 officers who have left the department since George Floyd's murder and the subsequent unrest. On Thursday night, 18 new Minneapolis police officers will be sworn in.