Star Tribune
Minneapolis police swear in first Somali woman, non-citizen in joyful graduation
As well-wishers flocked Officer Ikran Mohamed, 4-year-old Amira Shafii raised her little arm in a proud salute — her auntie’s new police cap perched lopsided on her head. The ‘junior officer’ cracked a smile.
Mohamed, dressed in a black hijab, adjusted her newly pinned badge with henna-laced hands. She’d just become the first Somali woman to ever join the Minneapolis Police Department.
“I want to be a role model for girls who look like me, so they can say ‘I can do it, too,” Mohamed, 23, told reporters Thursday night following a graduation ceremony honoring 11 new recruits and 12 lateral hires from other Minnesota law enforcement agencies.
“I’m just very excited to be here and represent my people and my community.”
Amira Shafii, 4, goes around saluting friends and relatives for photos wearing the police uniform cap of her aunt, officer Ikran Mohamed, who became the first Somali woman to become an officer with Minneapolis Police Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024 at the American Indian Center in Minneapolis, Minn.. ] AARON LAVINSKY • Aaron.lavinsky@startribune.com (Aaron Lavinsky/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Mohamed immigrated to the United States from Kenya when she was 10 years old. She previously worked as a corrections officer in Steele County.
Beside her, 27-year-old Officer Lesly Vera also had the power of representation on the mind. Vera became the first non-citizen to serve on the police force Thursday, marking a significant victory for immigration advocates.
Although thousands of lawful permanent residents and DACA recipients already serve in the United States military, many states maintain citizenship requirements for those seeking to become a licensed police officer. But in recent years, as law enforcement agencies across the nation have struggled to replenish their ranks with qualified candidates, a growing number have eliminated that requirement.
In 2023, at the recommendation of the Peace Officers’ Training Board, the Minnesota Legislature changed state law allowing for applicants who are either citizens or “eligible to work in the United States under federal requirements.”
First, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey made history Wednesday when he vetoed the City Council’s budget for what is believed to be the first time in the city’s history. Then the council made history Thursday by overriding his veto.
The council voted 9-4 to override the veto.
Frey called the council budget “reckless and irresponsible” because it adds $6.53 million in new spending, much of it taken from cash reserves and transfers from the Downtown Assets Fund. He said the money was used to fund new, unvetted pet projects that council members directed to certain wards.
Frey said the council cut or earmarked $15.9 million from city departments for new or altered programs, cut $1.8 million from Minneapolis Police Department programs, and directed $6 million for unvetted, short-term projects or outside organizations, many hand-picked by the council rather than subjected to a competitive process.
Late Tuesday night, the council approved amendments directing funding to specific nonprofits and projects, including the Latino Center for Community Engagement, Mercado Central economic development project, One Southside clinic project and Mni Sota Fund Indigenous Wealth Building Center.
Frey was also critical of the council’s decision to steer money toward public safety initiatives in the neighborhoods of Hiawatha, Whittier, Longfellow and Midtown Phillips, saying the city should stick to a comprehensive public safety system.
The council rejected raises for one group of employees, voting against giving 4% cost-of-living raises to 161 appointed city employees that are among the city’s highest-paid workers, with salaries beginning in the six figures. The council voted 7-5 to make the cut, saving $1.1 million.
Star Tribune
Max sentence sought for wife of MN prisons chief charged with trying to kill disabled son
A sheriff’s investigator received a report on June 13 that Myhre-Schnell had told people that she tried to kill her son. Two days later, Myhre-Schnell admitted the same to the investigator.
She said she refilled her prescription at the start of December 2023 and received 31 doses of Lorazepam. On Dec. 3, she crushed the remaining pills, mixed them with water in a container. Myhre-Schnell said she emptied the container into her son’s feeding bag that night, with the intention of killing him. She then left.
“The whole time I knew I was going to try to do this,” the complaint quoted her as telling the investigator. She said she went on to think, “‘I’m going to go to jail.’ “
After learning that her son did not die, Myhre-Schnell told the investigator that she “completely regretted that he survived.”
Myhre-Schnell typically had visited her son at the home at least weekly, but the visits stopped after Dec. 3.
Paul Francis Schell was hospitalized the next day after exhibiting an “altered mental status, decreased level of responsiveness, and hypotension,” and suffering from acute respiratory failure, the complaint said. Medical records from the hospital stay showed no record of that he had a toxicology test.
He’s David Hunter II, and on Jan. 6 the North Minneapolis native will take over the job of overseeing the center that provides programs and services that empower individuals and families.
“David’s unique ability to meet people where they are, paired with his servant leadership approach, makes him the ideal leader to guide PWCC into its next century of service,” Board Chair Scott Morris said in a statement. “His empathy, understanding, and passion for our mission inspire hope and possibility for our entire community.”
Hunter’s appointment is sort of a homecoming. When Hunter was a student at North Minneapolis’ Bethune Elementary School, he took part in programs offered by PWCC. The center at 130110th Avenue N. this year is marking its 100th anniversary of offering food assistance, domestic violence support, parenting restoration classes, youth basketball and technology skills courses for young men and women. The center also hosts special programs for Juneteenth, Thanksgiving and Earth Day, and a Santa breakfast for families.
Hunter most recently served as center director for the Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge in Rochester, Minn., where he led recovery programs and guided teams focused on holistic growth. He also served as a chaplain, providing spiritual and emotional support to individuals and families.
His resume also includes working as a counselor at the Salvation Army in Minneapolis, where he connected individuals struggling with homelessness and addiction to resources. Hunter is also a board member of Second Chance Coalition and the R3 Collaborative, organizations that advocate for social justice and help those re-entering society.
