The trial of Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer who was convicted and sentenced on murder charges for the death of George Floyd, cost the state $2.9 million in police overtime. The state had apparently beefed up security in light of the high-profile trial.
The Minneapolis Police Department has since requested $5 million from the Minneapolis City Council to cover rising overtime costs for 2021. The proposal was to be presented Thursday.
Since last year, the number of officers in the Minneapolis Police Department has dropped 25%. The city now employs 632 officers, down from 845 officers last year.
The department has said it has saved between $1 million and $3 million on payroll, but due to the decline in officers, overtime pay has increased.
"So our payroll savings is not as great," Robin McPherson, the department's finance director, told City Council members Wednesday, according to the Minneapolis station Fox 9.
The council has said it put $5 million in a reserve fund last year, but police officials now say they need that money to cover overtime costs.
But City Council member Steve Fletcher wanted to know why the department could not use its payroll funds to cover overtime costs.
"We're going to need help understanding where the money is going," Fletcher said.
On the other hand, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey hopes the city will receive federal stimulus to bring in outside law enforcement to aid the department. During Chauvin's trial, the city feared backlash from protesters if Chauvin was acquitted. Before the trial, officials spent immense resources fortifying the city's courthouse as well as bringing in outside law enforcement.
The jury found Chauvin guilty on all counts, including second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
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