Violent Robbery Videos Go Viral Amid Police Shortage in Minneapolis

Police say There Were 23 Robberies Over the Course of One Week in August Alone

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (CNN) – Cameras caught a violent robbery committed in broad daylight in downtown Minneapolis.

Authorities say it’s part of a pattern of increased crime in the city that many say should be a wake-up call.

According to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office one victim was jumped on and run over with a bike in the aftermath of a robbery.

Through nearly nine months in one downtown Minneapolis precinct, there were 240 robberies.

That is up nearly 54 percent from the same time last year and over the course of one week in August alone, there were 23 robberies.

Police say the robberies have followed a similar pattern: the suspects looking for someone intoxicated, alone and looking at their cell phone at times.

But these incidents, as shocking as the video may be, aren’t happening in a vacuum. It’s within the context of the police department saying they need more officers.

Over the summer, the police chief said it’s hard to even keep the slots they have filled.

“Because our staffing needs have not been properly addressed over many years it has resulted in our current MPD resources being strained to capacity, and quite frankly we are hemorrhaging.”

According to the police department, between July 1, 2018 and June 30 of this year there were 6,776 times when someone picked up the phone and called 911 for a priority one call, which includes robbery, homicide, rape, and there wasn’t an officer available to immediately respond.

The department admits recruiting is down.

That is part of why the Police Chief and Mayor are working to add 14 more officers to next year’s budget.

“Through trust, accountability and professional service the MPD’s daily goal is to provide safety of all of our city,” said Chief Medaria Arradondo.

It’s something the city council is wrestling with and not all of them are receptive.

The council president has argued they have to look at more than just policing tweeting, “MPD is only one way we support public safety.”

While another councilman wrote an op-ed for the Star Tribune saying, “Now is the time for our city to insist that we expect better before we fund more.”

There have been some arrests that appear to have helped curb the number of robberies in Minneapolis.

According to a recent Fox 9 article, 18 people have been charged in connection to downtown Minneapolis robberies last month, according to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.

The police union says the city will probably lose more officers before it can hire new ones.