IMPD Chief Bailey Discusses Staffing, ICE and challenges Facing the Department

A day after Mayor Joe hogsett presented the city’s proposed 2026 budget, IMPD Chief Chris Bailey discussed the challenges facing his department with reporters.

Bailey was appointed chief in February 2024, a time when community members raised concerns about violent crime and an increase in police shootings. Since then, he’s focused on retaining and recruiting officers, building community trust and concentrating on “the small number of people, places and behaviors that contribute to violent crime.”

Here’s what Bailey had to say:

On staffing

The 2026 budget includes funding for over 1,743 officers, though currently only 1,461 are on staff. IMPD has struggled to meet recruitment goals despite offering sign-on bonuses and competitive starting salaries.

Unspent funds allocated for new officers are used for overtime, primarily for large events. Bailey acknowledges the department is “still not exactly were we want to be” in filling vacancies:

“This last class had one of our highest numbers we’ve had in a few years, so we’re hopeful that we’re seeing the tide turn across the country. I see cities having record numbers of police recruits in their academies, in places that are similar size cities to us. So that tide is turning a little bit, but it’s going to take us a while here to get it moving.

“We’re going to have three classes next year, hopefully two lateral classes as well, so five opportunities to bring on sworn staff in 2026 and beyond. Hopefully the mayor’s commitment to honoring the labor agreements sends a message that public safety is still a priority in our city, and this is a place where you want to come work.”

On ICE

In July, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began offering six-figure salaries and $50,000 sign-on bonuses to former employees who return to the department, as the Trump administration increased deportation efforts. The average salary for new ICE deportation officers ranges from $50,000 to $90,000 annually.

Bailey was asked if these incentives might draw potential law enforcement recruits to ICE:

“That’s always a big concern of ours when you see those big numbers. We tried hiring bonuses a couple years ago.”

Minneapolis Passes New Curfew Ordinance Following Summer Violence

Minneapolis City Council members recently approved a new curfew ordinance aimed at addressing disruptive juvenile behavior, especially downtown. The move comes after a summer that saw two children fatally shot and five others injured in incidents involving young people.

Police Chief Brian O’Hara and Mayor Jacob Frey supported the ordinance, which allows officers to detain juveniles found in violation of the curfew. The city previously operated under a state curfew law, but officials sought more local control.

Bailey applauded the effort while noting that the city has seen reductions in criminal homicides and violent crime in recent years.

Here’s what Bailey had to say about the new law:

“I told the councilors that we would work with them and whatever proposal thay come up with. I was happy to see that they felt as strongly about doing something in our community as I did.

“Now that it’s passed, our legal department is going to start putting that guidance together, what it looks like for our officers knowing that you can’t do both: You can’t enforce the state (curfew) law and the local ordinance simultaneously occurring, and the directions to our officers is the same. This is not a tool for mass sweeps or mass detentions. This is a scalpel type of tool we want them to use to address specific issues.

“This summer, we started a report of juvenile activity downtown. our crime analysts give a report every week. We get arrests, locations where we see issues, what those issues are, and the reports continue to show less and less disruptive activity late at night. Anyone should be welcome to come downtown and follow the rules and enjoy the activities and go home the way you showed up.

“Ther’s some things we’re going to do proactively going forward, especially on major events when we know there’s a potential of larger groups of people coming downtown, that we did leading up to WNBA (all-Star Weekend), that we should have probably done leading up to July 4, not knowing that we were going to have the issues. In the future, we’ll do increased juvenile probation visits that includes looking at what active detention orders, which would be a warrant for an adult, are active for juvenile offenders who have violent crimes – dangerous possession of a weapon, robbery, those type of things. there weren’t that many of those, but we did send teams out to take those juveniles into custody leading up to some of our major events, and use it also as an opportunity to talk to parents.

“Frankly, it’s beyond just a curfew. That’s a tool. It’s not the only tool. There are bigger issues that we have to address as a society, and then we need some help from the juvenile court.They have to start sharing more facts with us, and we’re working on that, and in order for us to intervene and p