[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 22 (Thursday, February 3, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E104-E105]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           ADDRESSING THE PUBLIC SAFETY CONCERNS OF ST. PAUL

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, February 3, 2022

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, I rise to call attention to 
correspondence I recently received from Todd Axtell, Chief of the St. 
Paul Police Department. Chief Axtell and the men and women in uniform 
of the department who serve my constituents are extraordinary public 
servants who operate with a level of professionalism that has been 
consistently demonstrated during the difficult circumstances of the 
past two years. Therefore, I include in the Record Chief Axtell's 
letter to highlight the increasing challenges being placed on St. Paul 
police officers.
  At this moment, the City of St. Paul is the venue for the federal 
trial of three former Minneapolis police officers involved in the 
murder of Mr. George Floyd in May 2020. This trial has been brought by 
federal authorities, regarding federal civil rights charges, and 
concerns a crime that occurred in Minneapolis, not in St. Paul. By 
selecting St. Paul as the venue for this federal trial, extraordinary 
security and financial burdens are being placed upon the City of St. 
Paul, Ramsey County, and our local taxpayers.
  It is my belief that the federal court and Department of Justice must 
not be allowed to shift security related costs onto local government 
and taxpayers. This is simply unacceptable. Therefore, I am exploring 
funding options that will ensure the federal government covers all 
costs associated with security for this federal trial and the City of 
St. Paul, the St. Paul Police Department, and the property taxpayers of 
St. Paul are held financially harmless. Though I cannot guarantee 
funding, my office will make every effort to achieve this goal.
  Madam Speaker, I remain committed to working with both local and 
federal counterparts to achieve a positive outcome for the people of 
St. Paul. I would also like to recognize Chief Axtell for his 
leadership and the day-to-day commitment of the St. Paul Police 
Department to meet the needs of our constituents.
                                             Department of Police,


                                           City of Saint Paul,

                                                 January 21, 2022.
     Hon. Betty McCollum,
     House of Representatives, Saint Paul, MN.
       Dear Representative McCollum: The murder of Mr. George 
     Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police officers on 
     May 25, 2020 sparked unprecedented civil unrest in the State 
     of Minnesota and across the globe.
       For several days, an outpouring of frustration sparked 
     reactions ranging from massive demonstrations, to looting, to 
     widespread destruction of property. In the Twin Cities, two 
     people were killed and our community suffered millions of 
     dollars in property damage, including 330 buildings in Saint 
     Paul that were damaged or destroyed.
       The past two years have brought dramatic changes in law 
     enforcement staffing; police officers are leaving the 
     profession in numbers that haven't been seen before. The 
     Saint Paul Police Department is currently down 80 sworn 
     officers, our lowest staffing level since the 1990's. 
     Additionally, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic offers daily 
     staffing challenges as members of our department contract the 
     highly contagious virus and are required to quarantine.
       While short-staffed, Saint Paul officers are being pushed 
     to the brink while continuing to deliver the high level of 
     service expected by our community. In 2021, Saint Paul 
     experienced a record high number of homicides and saw 
     dramatic increases in other violent crimes.
       While struggling to meet the day-to-day challenges of 
     maintaining public safety, our department was notified at the 
     end of November 2021 that the federal civil rights trial for 
     the four former Minneapolis police officers involved in 
     George Floyd's murder would be held in downtown Saint Paul at 
     the federal courthouse--even though the tragic incident 
     occurred in a different jurisdiction.
       As the murder of Mr. Floyd took place in the City of 
     Minneapolis while in custody of Minneapolis police officers, 
     no one anticipated the federal trial being held in Saint 
     Paul.
       Law enforcement organizations are typically given six to 
     twelve months to plan for a trial of this magnitude. However, 
     we were given fewer than two months to plan and prepare with 
     our federal and local partners for the upcoming federal 
     trial.
       Tensions in the community remain high. Protests and calls 
     for systemic changes continue. The upcoming federal trial has 
     been highly publicized and may inflame intense emotions for 
     individuals across the country.

[[Page E105]]

       While we have worked diligently to prepare, it will come at 
     a steep price to our community, our financial bottom line and 
     our officers' wellbeing.
       Preliminary budget numbers show this trial could cost the 
     City of Saint Paul $2 million and up to an additional $2 
     million in mutual aid costs for our East Metro partners. 
     These estimates cover items such as training, equipment, 
     protecting critical infrastructure and fencing, personnel 
     costs, and other needs that arise as a result of the trial 
     being held in our city.
       With staffing levels critically low, personnel working 
     during an ongoing pandemic, and officers working a great deal 
     of overtime just to maintain minimum staffing levels, having 
     this federal trial in our city is an extremely heavy lift for 
     our department.
       I respectfully seek assistance from the FY22 Commerce, 
     Justice, Science (CJS) funding bill to reimburse the City of 
     Saint Paul. It is our hope that this will ease the financial 
     strain that the upcoming federal trial will place on our 
     department.
       The Saint Paul Police Department's point of contact for 
     additional information is Deputy Chief Stacy Murphy.
       Thank you for your consideration.
           Sincerely,
                                                      Todd Axtell,
     Chief of Police.

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