UMN partners with MPD to increase law enforcement presence over next 2 weekends

MINNEAPOLIS -- Cops will be clamping down around the University of Minnesota the next two weekends.

"The last several weekends provided an unusual amount of activity that we wanted to step up and try to stop it before it got going on a regular basis," said Myron Frans, the U's Senior Vice President for Finance and Operations 

There were multiple fireworks attacks this past weekend that hurt at least four people, including a female student.

The administration is bringing in more police officers the next two weekends to the Dinkytown and Marcy-Holmes neighborhoods. There will be up to 10 extra officers coming from campus police and the Minneapolis Police Department, all of whom will be getting paid overtime by the university.

"It'll start late afternoon, early evening and go into early morning," Frans said. "Part of our view is that more visible police presence will help deter criminal activity."

Jaydah Sherman, a sophomore, lives in Dinkytown near where one of the fireworks attacks happened. She feels more police are a good start but ultimately a drop in the ocean.

"It's a temporary solution to a problem that's going to persist, and I don't really feel like there's been a message sent to the people doing this that you'll be held accountable," Sherman said.

Joe Birch, a junior, also thinks more accountability is needed, but he does feel safer than he used to.

"The emphasis on campus safety happened after last year more so, so it's occurring right now, so I feel like more stuff is going to be done in the future than has already," he said.

We asked MPD what the extra patrols will mean for policing in the rest of the city. A spokesperson says no officers are being pulled off their regular shifts, and that up to six a day will volunteer to take the overtime patrolling the neighborhoods near campus.

As of Wednesday night, no arrests had been made in the weekend fireworks attacks.