Minnesota Police Went Underfunded as Somalis Defrauded Taxpayers Out of Billions [WATCH]

Police union leaders and public-safety experts in Minnesota say the state is confronting a dangerous combination of rising violent crime, critical staffing shortages, and historic fraud losses that diverted hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars during a period when law-enforcement agencies were already strained.

Randy Sutton, a police veteran and founder of The Wounded Blue, told Fox News Digital that the problems extend far beyond any single department or region.

“The public safety is at risk… we are in a criminal justice crisis in America,” Sutton said. “Political leadership is destroying public safety through their ideology.”

Mark Ross, president of the St. Paul Police Federation, said Minnesota is experiencing that crisis firsthand.

“We’ve been down anywhere from 50 to over 100 officers since 2020, and we just haven’t recovered from that,” Ross said.

“Right now we’re about a thousand police officers short in the state of Minnesota, and we’re on pace to lose another 2,000 to 2,500 over the next few years.”

The staffing shortages come as Minnesota recorded 170 murders in 2024, according to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

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The statewide murder total fell only slightly from 2023, and firearms were used in nearly 75% of all killings.

Carjackings increased 5.5% from the previous year, rapes rose 5.2%, and assaults on peace officers climbed 1.5%.

Ross said agencies across the state are struggling to recruit and retain officers.

“The overall landscape for policing in Minnesota has gotten really, really competitive. We’re losing officers to other departments paying more and offering greater incentives.”

He said the state’s massive fraud losses, which have become the subject of multiple federal investigations, have intensified long-term challenges for police departments.

“These billions of dollars could have been spent on public safety, but it’s gone… and we’ll never see that money again.”

Sutton said the shortages are occurring at a time when officers nationwide are experiencing higher rates of violence.

“Last year, more than 85,000 American officers were assaulted… every single day an officer is being shot,” Sutton said.

“We’ve never seen volume like this.”

The BCA reports that while violent crime outside the Twin Cities dipped slightly, the seven-county metro region — including Minneapolis and St. Paul — saw a 1% increase. Sutton said official crime statistics do not reflect the full picture.

“People are afraid to even report crime… and some police agencies aren’t reporting to the FBI,” he said.

“The figures are skewed. We don’t even have an accurate picture of violent crime.”

Ross said St. Paul officers are being asked to do “more with less” even as community demands grow.

A spokesperson for Gov. Tim Walz defended the administration’s record, saying, “The Governor signed the largest public safety budget in state history, investing money in every single police department in the state.”

The spokesperson also pointed to a new State Patrol headquarters and a recently launched state crime lab, adding that “Minnesota was recently ranked as one of the safest states.”

The administration disputed claims that fraud investigations affected police funding.

“The fraudsters stole money from programs like Medicaid that are funded primarily with federal funding, so police funding is not affected,” the spokesperson said.

Walz’s office added, “The Governor has made public safety a top priority for the state, providing hundreds of millions in funding for cops.”

Ross said those assurances do not match what officers experience daily.

“Those are all projects that need to be done, but what we’re looking for is continued funding all the time. Not one-time funding.”

He also rejected the idea that fraud losses did not affect public-safety resources.

“You can’t frame things that way. It all comes from the same pool of money. Those are tax dollars,” Ross said.

“I think taxpayers would not be amused by that response.”

Ross said many officers fear political consequences more than physical danger.

“There is a legitimate fear they might be prosecuted or terminated for doing their jobs, even when they’ve done everything correctly.”

He added, “The first thing cops think during a use-of-force incident is: ‘Am I going to jail for this?’”

Sutton said this is not unique to Minnesota.

“Officers are more afraid of their own leadership than of the criminal element and that is the saddest part of this whole story.”

Ross said fewer highly qualified applicants are pursuing law enforcement careers.

“You’re not going to get the big number of super-qualified candidates when the hiring pool is this shallow,” he said.

“People would love the work and be great at it, but they don’t feel supported.”

He said meaningful improvement must begin with leadership.

“It all starts with leadership, political leadership, department leadership, union leadership. We need people to get up and lead.”

Despite some recent recruitment progress, Ross said, “we have a long way to go.”

Sutton said that until elected officials place consistent emphasis on public safety, “communities will continue to be in danger.”