Golden Valley Police Focusing on Data Tools to Improve Department
After being short-staffed for much of the year, the Golden Valley Police Department is swearing in two new officers this week.
The officers are joining a department that’s working to take a new approach to public safety that’s more focused on data and analytics.
“When you talk about reimagining public safety, we’re just looking at how we are policing,” said Golden Valley Police Chief Virgil Green. “From the things that happened years ago here in Minneapolis… with Dante Wright, George Floyd, how can we do our jobs much better?”
The department received $250,000 from the Pohlad Family Foundation Reducing Harm Through Collaborative Solutions Grant to help fund some of the public safety changes.
Officials with the Golden Valley Police Department hope to have 20 sworn officers on staff by October.
Green says they’re using the money to improve their online data tools, which will help them to better understand where crime is happening and how to better deploy officers to those areas.
The grant is also helping the department fund several other initiatives, which include a racial equity audit of policing policies, and better engagement with community partners.
“Not to say we’re going to be soft on crime,” said Green. “But how can we do our job much better to offer some additional type of services to somebody who doesn’t necessarily need to go to jail, or somebody who needs some other kind of social services.”
The Golden Valley Police Department currently has 13 sworn officers. The hope is to have 20 officers on staff by October, which will help them become less reliant on the services of Hennepin County Sheriff’s deputies.
Related: Golden Valley Police Officer Shortage ‘Dire’ According To Union Officials
