Minneapolis Pilots Civilian Investigators for Non-Injury Traffic Incidents
Minneapolis is piloting a program to send civilian traffic investigators to non-injury traffic incidents instead of police officers. This initiative, funded by a $2.5 million federal grant, aims to reduce the workload on the Minneapolis Police Department and allow officers…
Minneapolis St. Paul, MN, July 23, 2026 —
Minneapolis has launched a pilot program that dispatches civilian traffic investigators to handle non-injury traffic incidents, rerouting these calls away from sworn police officers. This new initiative is designed to alleviate the demands placed on the Minneapolis Police Department, enabling officers to dedicate more time to critical emergencies and complex investigations.
The program is supported by a substantial $2.5 million federal grant. This funding is crucial for the establishment and operation of the civilian investigation unit. The city aims to significantly reduce the number of 911 calls that are directed to law enforcement.
According to the program’s objectives, Minneapolis is working towards a goal of diverting 20% of all 911 calls from police response. The deployment of civilian investigators for traffic incidents is a key component of this larger strategy to reform emergency call handling and resource allocation within the city.
Details regarding the specific timeline for the pilot program’s full implementation or its initial outcomes were not provided. The contractor responsible for training or managing the civilian investigators was also not specified.
Story summarized from the original created by Ryan Pattee on kstp.com, see more information here.
