Should cops live where they work?
"High-profile civil rights protests across the country have sparked a renewed interest in the idea of getting more police officers to live in the cities they serve," writes MPR News reporter Jon Collins.
In the Twin Cities, police live in the cities where they work less often than in most other large American cities. Only about 5.4 percent of Minneapolis officers live in city boundaries, according to data obtained by MPR News from the Minneapolis Police Department. About 22 percent of St. Paul officers live within city boundaries, according to the City Council. The national average for large cities is about 40 percent residency.
Supporters of hiring officers to work in the cities they live argue that it would bring officers closer to communities they serve and provide quicker response times. But opponents, including police unions, fought residency requirements in the past, saying that they limit the hiring pool and infringe on workers' rights.
Today's Question: Should cops live where they work?
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