Police overtime costs projected to put MPD more than $23 million over budget

2 min read

Police overtime costs projected to put MPD more than $23 million over budget

Minneapolis officials warn police overspending threatens city’s financial health. Also: a ruling in an ICE arrest case and criticism of the GOP’s Chauvin tribute.

Jun 2, 2026, 6:45 AM CT

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Megan Germundson, MinnPost.

The Minneapolis Police Department is expected to go over budget in 2026 by more than $23 million, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported Monday. MPD’s overspending, driven primarily by overtime costs, is draining the city’s general fund and threatening its overall financial health. Minneapolis City Council members are alarmed at the department’s exploding overtime costs, which have risen sharply each year since 2020. Overtime spending exceeded $30 million in 2025 despite a $6 million budget.

After meeting with Deputy Chief Financial Officer Jayne Discenza, Minneapolis City Council member LaTrisha Vetaw told the Strib she almost “fell out of my chair” when Discenza said she was unable to access specific information on police spending. 


A federal judge ordered the government to pay $15,800.17 in attorney fees for a man who says ICE agents fractured his skull when they dragged him from of his vehicle and repeatedly struck him in the head with a steel baton in St. Paul earlier this year, MPR News reported Monday.

According to the order filed May 29, Judge Donovan Frank wrote: “Petitioner had severe head injuries and was in a coma. This made it difficult to collect information for Petitioner’s case and develop a litigation strategy. Moreover, and as the Court observed in its order granting the Petition, ICE agents were not forthcoming about the details of Petitioner’s arrest.”

The pilot of a small plane is recovering from injuries after the aircraft crashed while attempting an emergency landing at Amery Airport in Wisconsin on Saturday, KARE 11 reported. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said Monday that the pilot, the plane’s sole occupant, had engine trouble while flying from Menomonie to Brainerd before landing in a field near Amery Airport.


The Department of Natural Resources is urging residents in Grand Marais to take down bird feeders and secure any food or garbage left outdoors after multiple sightings of a yearling black bear in town, WTIP Community Radio reported Monday.

The bear may be cute, but Nancy Hanson, the Two Harbors area wildlife manager for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, said it is “young enough that people can do their part and change its behavior. Tough love is better for both the bear and the homeowners.”

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Megan Germundson / MinnPost
Megan Germundson / MinnPost
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