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For the next six months, almost 20 percent of the officers with the Minneapolis Police Department will reportedly be off the streets as the Minnesota government processes their disability claims.

Their claims were filed this week because of the post-traumatic stress disorder they’ve suffered over what they’d experienced during the devastating George Floyd riots in late May and early June.

“While law enforcement is a high-stress career, the last two months in Minneapolis have pushed many officers to their breaking point,” the officers’ shared attorney, Ron Meuser, Jr., said in a statement Friday.

The breaking point, he said, was when far-left extremists laid siege to (and eventually burned down) the Third Police Precinct on May 28th.

BREAKING: The third precinct police station is on fire. Rioters have taken over pic.twitter.com/AJg4jDr9Tz

— Max Nesterak (@maxnesterak) May 29, 2020

“Many of the officers I represent were at the 3rd Precinct the day and night it was abandoned. Officers were taking such extreme steps as writing final notes and texts to loved ones — fearful they wouldn’t make it home, and some saying they felt they needed to reserve their last bullet rather than being beaten to death,” Meuser explained.

“They were left alone in the 3rd Precinct without support from city leaders. Officers worked 12-hour-plus shifts for days upon days, without relief or clear leadership.”

What they experienced has led to “PTSD symptoms,” with officers experiencing a “highly diminished capacity to live and socialize, extraordinary rates of divorce, and alcohol dependency – just to cope. It is an emotional crisis that cannot and should not continue.”

“The men and women in public safety who give their heart and soul to serve Minneapolis and keep it safe deserve to have Minneapolis leaders to step up and supporting them. Instead of spending time plotting the dismantling of the force, let’s come together to improve community trust and work towards a safer city for all,” Meuser noted.

During a press conference Friday, he added that several of his clients also suffered “physical injury as a result of being struck by concrete, by fire crackers.”

Listen to the full presser below:

He also said that most of the officers seeking disability aren’t rookies — they’re veterans with decades of experience on their belt.

Following the riots in May and June, Minneapolis city officials began scheming to literally disband the entire Minneapolis Police Department and replace it with some utopian system.

The makeup of this new model/system will focus on community-based policing and be designed based on the interests of everybody in Minneapolis save seemingly for white people.

“The City Council will engage with every willing community member in Minneapolis, centering the voices of black people, American Indian people, people of color, immigrants, victims of harm, and other stakeholders who have been historically marginalized or under-served by our present system,” a resolution introduced by the Minneapolis City Council in June read. “Together, we will identify what safety looks like for everyone.”

The resolution passed 12-0 on June 26th.

The only good news for locals who appreciate the presence of traditional police officers in their community is that this scheme must pass through them come election day for the MPD to ever actually be disbanded.

The bad news is that because of the disability claims, the city’s going to be short about 20 percent of its police force for a while, which bodes badly for a town that’s in the midst of an unprecedented crime wave.

“ShotSpotter technology has picked up more than 1,600 gunshots in Minneapolis in the past 30 days. Nine people were shot within four hours Monday in three separate shootings, within about a two-mile radius in north Minneapolis. The numbers show that there have been over 100 people shot in Minneapolis since the death of George Floyd,” local station WCCO reported two weeks ago.

At least nine were shot this Friday alone:

Nine people shot, one fatally, in night of violence in Minneapolis https://t.co/2ERRDK7fTb

— KARE 11 (@kare11) July 10, 2020

But instead of concerning themselves with the city’s rising crime or its officers’ tribulations, Minneapolis’s city council members appear to be focused on other matters.

“This keeps someone who is no longer working, at a significant expense to our city, and I fear with appropriate treatment could have recovered and been a meaningful contributor to our city,” councilwoman Linea Palmisano reportedly said about the disability claims.

Meanwhile, some of the same city council members who’ve been pushing to abolish the local police department have been using taxpayer funds to pay for their own private security details.

“The City of Minneapolis is spending $4,500 a day for private security for three council members who have received threats following the police killing of George Floyd, FOX 9 has learned,” local station KMSP reported Friday.

A city spokesperson told the outlet that total expenditures for this private protection has thus far cost taxpayers over $63,000.

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Vivek Saxena

Senior Staff Writer
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V. Saxena is a staff writer for BizPac Review with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University.

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