NYC Looks To Scale Up Mamdani's Office of Community Safety. Minneapolis Leaders Just Voted To End Theirs.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani proposed establishing a Department of Community Safety that would expand violence interrupter programs and mental health teams responding to 911 calls. In March, Mamdani signed an executive order to create the Office of Community Safety as an interim step. The city's FY 2027 budget allocates $40 million to the office, far below the $1 billion annual figure Mamdani initially proposed.

City council members are now pushing to expand the effort. On Friday, the council held a hearing on a bill to establish a full Department of Community Safety. Councilmember Lincoln Restler sponsored the bill and reported having 34 co-sponsors, enough for a veto-proof majority. Restler's version would coordinate homeless and mental health services, de-escalate emergency situations, and expand violence interruption work by nonprofit workers.

The New York push for community safety infrastructure comes as Minneapolis moved in the opposite direction. On Thursday, the Minneapolis City Council voted to eliminate the city's Office of Community Safety, which was created in 2022. Councilmembers argued the agency had not delivered results worth the cost and said it did not improve oversight of the Minneapolis Police Department.

A Minneapolis city audit found the Neighborhood Safety Department failed to properly oversee its contracts. An investigation found one prevention consultant billed over $270,000 for personnel, rent, and food, yet the city never produced a single receipt for the company.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey opposed shuttering the office. He told MPR News that those backing the proposal "don't understand what it takes to run safety departments for a major city, nor do they have any plan for how these essential services should be delivered under their own proposal." Frey claimed the Minneapolis model has been nationally recognized in places like New York.

The New York office does not oversee the police, 911 emergency services, or the fire department. Minneapolis's office oversees all three, along with neighborhood safety groups.