Minneapolis, where the cry to “defund the police” really got rolling, is facing a police shortage and that has led to a serious crime problem. So now it looks like the city will be forced to outsource its police work at a cost of $500,000 for a month and a half of work, WCCO-TV reported.

What happened?

In the wake of the death of George Floyd in late May, the Minneapolis City Council loudly and proudly declared it was time to “defund the police.”

The emotional calls to gut city law enforcement were echoed with anti-police protests and riots in Minnesota’s Twin Cities that eventually spread across the nation.

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The council promised the city’s anti-police citizens that they would dismantle the city’s policing systems. Then, in June, the council voted unanimously to adopt a resolution officially committing to replace the Minneapolis Police Department with a “community safety” model.

The city council’s moves and the “defund the police” crowd’s demands were successful in cutting the number of police. They were so successful, in fact, that in September, as crime was spiking in Minneapolis, members of the city council were demanding to know: “Where are the police?“

Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo told them exactly where they were: gone.

When Arradondo explained to the council that its actions had repercussions, he noted that more than 100 officers had left the department, which was more than double the usual number.

In October, several residents sued the city over insufficient policing that has left them fearing for their safety as violent crime has surged. The lawsuit also claimed that there are now fewer officers employed in the MPD than what is required by the city charter.

What will the city council do?

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported Monday night that the anti-police mayor and city council are looking at bringing in officers from other jurisdictions to help the MPD take on the crime wave and cop shortage.

The plan would pull in cops from the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office and Metro Transit Police for temporary work with the city, mostly responding to violent 911 calls using Joint Enforcement Teams, the Star Tribune said.

According to the paper, the planned teams would form Sunday and run through the end of the year.

The seven-week contract policing plan would cost the city $497,000.

The vote on the plan is expected to happen Friday and be sent to the mayor for approval, WCCO said.