Small business owners say they're pressured to hire off-duty MPD cops for security - Minnesota Reformer

https://minnesotareformer.com/2023/10/17/small-business-owners-they-are-pressured-to-hire-off-duty-mpd-cops-for-security/

Small business owners say they're pressured to hire off-duty MPD cops for security - Minnesota Reformer

268 points · 19 comments · view on lemmy.world

19 Comments

robocall@lemmy.world · 78 pts · 2y (6 replies)

That sounds like the Mafia

Che_Donkey@lemmy.ml · 44 pts · 2y (3 replies)

That sounds like the cops

same =same

Capricorny90210@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 2y (2 replies)

Same same, but diffffferent.... But still same

Frozengyro@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 2y (1 reply)

SSDD

blanketswithsmallpox@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 2y

Sup Dudders?

rockSlayer@lemmy.world · 23 pts · 2y

That's because the mpd is a white nationalist gang

Fades@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 2y

All of these fascists have romanticized the mob, Trump wishes so badly he was in the mob. He calls himself Teflon don, always crying about loyalty, delegating his crimes to lower peons and morons.

It’s fucking pathetic. These pigs are just following their leader, just like the republicans in the house are doing.

trash80@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 44 pts · 2y (6 replies)
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SheeEttin@lemmy.world · 25 pts · 2y (4 replies)

You're right, but the parts you've picked are misleading. Minimums are normal for a lot of gig work.

Those officers are paid $107 an hour, but payroll is handled by the city.

This is in reference to the "buyback" program, where neighborhoods or organizations can pay for extra on-duty patrols. The off-duty private security payroll isn't handled by the city.

The bigger issues that stood out to me:

MPD officers would usually sit in their squad cars, fully uniformed

Gordon said running a business using city resources — uniforms, guns, squad cars — without city management, should be considered a violation of the city ethics code, even though the city explicitly allows it, even paying insurance for off-duty work.

I don't have a problem with any public official doing any kind of side work, as long as it doesn't affect their job, and they aren't using government resources to do it. Every job I've had has said you can moonlight, but you can't use company resources or use the company name to imply any kind of endorsement. But clearly that's not what's happening here. This is absolutely a protection racket.

trash80@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 15 pts · 2y
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Maeve@kbin.social · 8 pts · 2y (2 replies)

Yep. Upon reading the title, my first thought was, “Nice business you have here. Be a shame if anything happened to it.”

Everythingispenguins@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 2y (1 reply)

The only difference is "It would be a shame if we didn't show up when something happens."

Maeve@kbin.social · 1 pts · 2y

I agree but it’s already that they don’t.

blanketswithsmallpox@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 2y

The joys of defunding the police coupled with requiring minimum amounts of security for highly vulnerable businesses. This 'Small business owner' nightclub with over $1,000,000 in startup the article is in reference to lol. The writer is very measured and chooses their words carefully for a reason though. It's a decent writeup regarding the issue.

Here’s how the off-duty work program works: Some businesses — like large nightclubs — are required by the city to have security, which until 2020, sometimes had to be off-duty Minneapolis police officers.

In 2020, the Minneapolis City Council stopped requiring off-duty officers at licensed events, and let them hire private security instead. In August 2020, Velazquez told the City Council only four businesses were being required to hire off-duty MPD officers. But some businesses were voluntarily hiring them because they were under the impression they had no choice, he said. Others thought if they hired police officers they would get “some level of preferential treatment,” he said.

Fades@lemmy.world · 31 pts · 2y (2 replies)

Hey look, it’s even MORE far right assholes larping as mobster losers. Fuckin pathetic

pulaskiwasright@lemmy.ml · 14 pts · 2y

They’re not larping and they’re not losing. They’re running a successful protection racket, and probably more.

ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca · 3 pts · 2y

They aren’t the mob because the mob would actually protect you

tsonfeir@lemm.ee · 24 pts · 2y

hey, you got a nice place here. Nice family business. It would be awful if something were to happen to it. Maybe we could swing by and checkup on it from time to time to be sure it’s safe. Can you really put a price on your safety? Think about your kids.

trash80@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 22 pts · 2y
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downpunxx@kbin.social · 17 pts · 2y

*protection wink wink

TWeaK@lemm.ee · 11 pts · 2y

This is America, and regardless she absolutely has grounds to sue each and every one of them.

PrincessLeiasCat@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 2y

This is a thing in my town, too, at night for the bars in the more visited “touristy” area. I don’t love it but I think the local police have a shortage and there were some issues.