In a long string of inexplicable policies regarding the city's police department, Minneapolis' Democrat leaders have apparently decided to restrict the ability of certain individuals to go on ride-alongs with Minneapolis police officers without obtaining prior approval from City Hall.
That's the situation Townhall Senior Writer Julio Rosas encountered this week when he arrived in Minneapolis to observe the work of officers and report on the challenges they face in maintaining law and order in a jurisdiction dealing with a spike in crime that has impacted numerous cities across the country.
Last month, on July 12, Julio reached out to a contact within the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) to set up a time to visit, witness, and report on their work. By July 20, Julio received approval from higher-ups within the department for his reporting trip. A few days later, on July 25, Julio confirmed three dates the week of August 22 to make the trip and do ride-alongs with MPD officers.
On Sunday, August 21, Julio checked in one final time with MPD before leaving for the trip and received confirmation again that everything was good to go.
But when Julio arrived in Minnesota on August 22, he received word that his ride-along with MPD had not been approved by City Hall — a requirement that surprised MPD as well as Julio after the trip had received a green light from the known requisite parties in July.
One of Julio's MPD sources familiar with the situation told him that the denial for Julio to do a ride-along with the city's police force came from Mayor Jacob Frey's office, despite MPD's desire for Julio to see and report on the challenges officers deal with on a daily basis.
Julio, therefore, is being prevented from doing ride-alongs with MPD, an agency that approved and still wants Julio to join them on the job to report on what they're facing.
Townhall reached out to Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey's office with the following questions:
- When was the policy requiring City Hall approval for reporters to participate in MPD ride-alongs instituted?
- Who pursued this policy and who is responsible for its enforcement?
- Can you point me to this policy as it's listed publicly?
- Under this policy, what is considered when making the decision whether to allow a reporter to ride-along?
- Why was Julio and/or Townhall denied permission to do a ride-along?
Katie Lauer, Mayor Frey's communications director, did not respond to Townhall's email inquiry by deadline.
The lack of information, as well as prior notice about the policy, raises even more questions about when and why the policy was created and how it has been applied in Julio's case as well as others.
Last fall, Twin Cities CBS affiliate WCCO did a ride-along with MPD. In late June of this year, Alpha News reported on a ride-along with Minneapolis officers as well. After an August 5 interview of MPD personnel by Fox News' Laura Ingraham drew scorn from biased city officials and liberal outlets, a police department spokesman reiterated the MPD policy that Julio followed ahead of his reporting trip: "media interviews must be arranged through a public information officer or the police chief."
So why did City Hall change the policy between what was known to MPD at least as recently as August 5 and Julio's visit on August 21? Why was Julio blocked by the Minneapolis mayor's office from going on a ride-along with MPD this week? And what are Democrat leaders in Minneapolis trying to keep hidden from outside eyes?
Is it because the reality on the ground doesn't match the rosy picture painted by Democrat leaders who've overseen the city's decline into chaos?