Amid Push to “Defund” and “Replace” Police, Minnesota Sees Record-Breaking Murders, Assaults on Cops

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Amid calls by progressive lawmakers to “defund” and even potentially “replace” the police, Minnesota reported skyrocketing rates of violent crime in 2020, including the highest number of murders ever seen in the state, in addition to record-breaking numbers of assaults on law enforcement, according to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s (BCA) annual uniform crime report released on Tuesday.

Minneapolis has become one of the more prominent locations of violent demonstrations and looting in the wake of the death of George Floyd at the hands of former officer Derek Chauvin, which spurred calls to defund and even abolish the police. As a result, violent crime in Minnesota has spiked massively.

“With Democrat politicians pushing anti-law enforcement & defund the police policies in our cities, it’s more important than ever that we step up at the state level to address rising crime & make MN a safe place for all families.” –@RepJohnsonMN #mnleg https://t.co/jZEOQJtnbR

— MN House Republicans (@mnhousegop) July 28, 2021

In 2020, the BCA’s report noted that Minnesota experienced a 16.6 percent overall jump in violent crimes. There were 185 murders that year, compared to 117 in 2019, representing an increase of 58.1 percent. 2020’s murder numbers are an all-time record for the state, beating the previous record of 183 from all the way back in 1995. In addition, 75 percent of 2020’s murders were by firearm, an increase of 69 percent over 2019.

Minnesota recorded 185 murders in 2020, up 58 percent from 117 in 2019. That broke the record of 183 set in 1995 when Minneapolis alone had a record 97 homicides.https://t.co/LKwLfWIVfZ

— MPR News (@MPRnews) July 28, 2021

It’s also open season on police officers in 2020, with the BCA’s report highlighting 667 instances of cops being assaulted while performing in the line of duty, a 62 percent jump over 2019 and a another dubious all-time record for Minnesota.

Republican state officials have accused Democrats of being far too lenient on crime, with Dems reportedly going so far as pushing to have an option to “replace” the Minneapolis police department on voter ballots in November, and even fighting the ruling of a judge who sided with northern Minneapolis residents that want more officers hired to keep their community safe.

Republican State Senator Warren Limmer, Chair of the Public Safety and Judiciary Committee, noted that the BCA report cements the fact that crime is out of control in Minnesota, and that something needs to be done about it.

“The report confirms what we’ve been talking about for several years at the Senate: Violent criminals are finding more victims and lenient accountability measures in the judicial system are not keeping people safe,” Limmer said.