Title
Amending Section 3.02 of the Administrative Code to create an Office of Neighborhood Safety and immigrant and refugee program within the Office of the City Attorney.
Body
SECTION 1
WHEREAS, under the Minnesota Rules of Professional Conduct, a prosecutor “has the responsibility of a minister of justice and not simply that of an advocate. This responsibility carries with it specific obligations to see that the defendant is accorded procedural justice…”; and
WHEREAS, Saint Paul Charter 3.02 says the City Attorney shall “represent the City in all causes in which city is interested and shall have full and complete charge of the legal business of the city”; and
WHEREAS, on November 17, 2020, Mayor Carter announced the launch of a Community-First Public Safety Commission to re-envision emergency response in Saint Paul that would focus on alternative first-response options to priority-4 and priority-5 calls for service, and approaches for ongoing community involvement in the City’s Community-First Public Safety Plan, including considering the creation of a city-staffed office to drive and integrate this work; and
WHEREAS, the Community First Public Safety Commission issued a final report in May of 2021 that recommended that the City create and “Office of Neighborhood Safety” that would:
• be city-staffed office focusing on gun violence, youth violence, group-based violence, and structural violence,
• provide youth (under 24) programming,
• target neighborhoods most impacted by violence,
• focus on prevention programming and interruption, reconciliation/healing,
• have an advisory council,
• create volunteer opportunities,
• partner with other government entities and community-based organizations.
WHEREAS, the City seeks to create an Office of Neighborhood Safety (ONS), which is defined as a safety-foc...
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