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BCA: Assaults against police officers is on the rise
The Minnesota BCA tracks assaults against officers and the numbers show a significant increase over the last decade.
NEW BRIGHTON, Minn. — Since 2023, nine police officers and first responders have died in the line of duty in our region.
These tragic moments are fortunately few and far between, but law enforcement leaders say assaults against police officers happen nearly every day in the state of Minnesota.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) tracks assaults against officers and the numbers show a significant increase over the last decade.
In 2017, data shows 419 officers were assaulted in the line of duty in Minnesota. Three years later that number doubled to 794 assault victims in 2020. By 2023, the number of assaults had nearly tripled with 1,179 officers assaulted on the job.
And it’s not just assaults.
In 2017, the BCA says police officers were shot at 16 times in the field. That number nearly quadrupled in 2023 with 59 officers experiencing gunfire in the line of duty.
“That’s very concerning,” Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association Executive Director Jeff Potts said. “There’s a portion of our population that is significantly more violent than they were five years ago, and I think law enforcement is trying to figure out how to deal with it.”
Over the same time period the BCA is reporting fewer officer-involved shootings.
In 2020, the BCA says Minnesota police officers fired their weapons in the line of duty 35 times, killing eight people, and wounding 10 others.
In 2023, the BCA says police fired their weapons 17 times — not including accidental discharges — killing seven and wounding five.
“Every agency in the state of Minnesota is trying to figure out how to perfect the art of de-escalating tense, or crisis situations, and we’ll continue to do that,” Potts said.
But why are officers facing more violence on the job?
Potts argues one reason is society overall is more violent. Minnesota is seeing some progress in terms of violent crime, but Potts says the numbers are still higher than they were before the pandemic.
Potts says he’s also hearing about more situations where officers are encountering guns in the community.
“It seems like we’re hearing about that at a much more frequent basis,” he said. “I don’t have the data to back that up, that compared to 2019 we’re higher, but I’m just saying I personally hear about it more often than I used to.”
Potts says law enforcement leaders are searching for an answer to this alarming increase in violence, but at the end of the day…
“I don’t think we have a great answer to it,” Potts says.
“I would love to give you the answer to that. I think we’re trying to figure it out. We’re continuing to train and work with our public safety workforce to better be able to navigate those kinds of calls but what they’re facing out on the street is very concerning to all of us.”
Here is a breakdown of the assaults against Minnesota police officers over the last few years:
*Numbers are according to data compiled by the Minnesota BCA
- 859 officer assault incidents, 1,062 officers assaulted
- 41 firearm assaults
- 900 officer assault incidents, 1,112 officers assaulted
- 40 firearm assaults
- 413 officer assault incidents, 467 officers assaulted.
- 10 firearm assaults
- 416 officer assault incidents, 487 officers assaulted.
- 3 firearm assaults
- 371 officer assault incidents, 419 officers assaulted.
- 16 firearm assaults
Minnesota police use of force incidents according to Minnesota BCA:
- Weapon Discharged: 17 times, 7 killed, 5 people wounded
- Weapon Discharged: 20 times, 11 killed, 7 wounded
- Weapon Discharged: 25 times, 12 killed, 6 wounded
- Weapon Discharged: 35 times, 8 killed, 10 wounded
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Vikings fans were ecstatic to see their team beat the New York Jets.
FRIDLEY, Minn. — Vikings fans packed Forgotten Star Brewery early Sunday morning to watch the Minnesota Vikings and New York Jets game in London.
Hundreds of people were at the Fridley brewery to watch the game on a 15-foot screen at 8:30 a.m. Hodgepodge food truck was also there serving up brunch specials for fans to have with a pint of beer.
“We were up at 4:30 this morning, ready to go, getting our gameday gear ready,” said Luke Drake. Luke got there at 6 a.m. with his wife Nicole to make sure they got a prime spot.
“Before we were together, I was a Vikings fan and not like a super crazy Vikings fan. [Now] we’re up like a 5, 6 a.m., on Sundays, and it’s like we’re ready to go, we’re in front of the TV and we’re ready for the game to start,” Nicole said.
If you can’t tell by Shannon Russell’s purple hair, she bleeds purple and gold.
“I just love football,” she said.
Russell didn’t grow up in a sports family and came across the Vikings by chance when she was 10 years old.
“I was just up watching cartoons one morning and saw the Vikings playing and not understanding what it was, and I just fell in love with it,” Russell said.
Her favorite player is No. 22.
“I love watching Harrison Smtih while he comes up and he’s like ‘Am I going to rush, I don’t know’ and then he just bails out and I love watching that,” she said.
Liz Johnson was also up early with her two kids, Henry and Alice.
“I like football. I like watching. I enjoy the surprises that come with it. I like Forgotten Star, so it’s a perfect place to be, snacks, food,” Henry said.
“It’s pretty cool because you can see the TVs over there, over there, you can look behind you and see it over there, and you can look right there and see it a giant screen,” Alice said.
Alice got creative to pass some of the time, making art with her hands.
“I’m making bracelets,” she said. “So, first you take the first one, twist it and put it around your fingers.”
Even though the kids were up early, the Johnsons wouldn’t have it any other way to watch their hometown town leave London with a win.
Police said the 7-year-old victim was skateboarding on Saturday night.
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The road closure is expected to last until about 11:30 p.m. tonight, according to MnDOT.
MINNETONKA, Minn. — Officials have closed the westbound lanes of US Highway 12 starting at I-494 in Minnetonka after a collision occurred on Saturday night.
According to the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s 511 Map, the road is closed and there was a “serious crash,” on the highway.
The road closure is expected to last until about 11:30 p.m. tonight, according to MnDOT.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
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