Correction: A previous version of the article misstated which neighborhoods are included in the pilot program. UMPD will only be covering a ten-block area of Marcy-Holmes and Dinkytown.

The Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) handed over the responsibility of responding to emergency calls in portions of Marcy-Holmes and Dinkytown to the University of Minnesota Police Department (UMPD) on March 25, as part of a year-long test program.

The expansion comes as MPD struggles to recruit new officers. According to KSTP, MPD is down to around 500 active officers compared to around 800 officers in 2019.

While UMPD has also seen a similar decrease in active officers, UMPD believes it will be able to handle the workload, according to UMPD Chief Matt Clark. 

“I would rather go with less than have the wrong officer working here,” Clark said. “I want someone that can switch hats easily. Someone that is a guardian and an ambassador to the University.”

UMPD has responded to emergency calls in the local area before the one-year test program began, but this recent decision will make it more official, according to University spokesperson Jake Ricker. 

Undergraduate Safety Task Force President Keegan Wulf said a community-oriented approach is important to building trust with University students.  

“It’s really important that the right people are having the job so that they are able to rebuild that trust that was lost in 2020 so that people can be more truthful with them,” Wulf said. 

MPD spokesperson Garrett Parten said in a statement to The Minnesota Daily that MPD will still be working alongside UMPD in public safety efforts.

“MPD works continuously with the University of Minnesota Police Department in coordinated efforts to ensure public safety needs are met,” Parten said.

Quinn Vochko, a second-year University student who lives near University Avenue in Dinkytown, said he has noticed the increased UMPD presence in Dinkytown and hopes this will help prevent car thefts.

“I know we’ve had a problem with car thefts within our parking lot,” Vochko said. “It’s obviously not ideal when criminals take other people’s personal property. So I’m somewhat glad the presence has been increased just to scare them off.” 

Clark said at the March Board of Regents meeting that expanding will help protect University students even if they do not live on University-owned property.

“That is a very specific area for the University,” Clark said in the board meeting. “We have a lot of Greek life there, residents, we have a lot of student housing as well and we do have University infrastructure scattered within that 10-block area. I don’t know that we could do much more than that but, in my discussions with department members, we feel like it’s something we should do and it’s a responsibility we should take on.”

Vanessa Badu, a third-year student who lives in Identity Dinkytown, said the increase in police presence is good for keeping students safe, but she is still worried that slow response times from MPD will carry over with UMPD.

“I would not really count on them because they do take a long time responding to students, but I think they are trying their best,” Badu said.