A Hennepin County judge has scheduled a jury trial for April 2027 in a lawsuit seeking to require Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey to comply with the city’s police staffing mandates, setting the case on a path toward trial as discovery is expected to begin next month.
According to a Tuesday press release from the Upper Midwest Law Center (UMLC), the trial date was set during a scheduling conference Aug. 11. The case is also expected to involve expert testimony and court-ordered mediation.
The lawsuit was filed by UMLC on behalf of Minneapolis residents Ronald Peterson, John Tschohl, Laverne Turner and Mary Holmberg. In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs argue that Minneapolis officials have failed to meet a police staffing requirement contained within the city charter.
The Minnesota Supreme Court has already recognized that the city charter requires a police force of at least 0.0017 employees per resident. According to UMLC, that currently translates to a minimum of 731 sworn officers.
UMLC Managing Attorney Rachel Paulose pointed out that compared to the number of officers employed pre-pandemic, which peaked at over 900, the recent reports of 617 in 2025 and 649 in April 2026 don’t come close.
The trial is expected to function as a show-cause hearing, in which the city would be required to explain why it has failed to employ the minimum number of officers required by the city charter.
As the lead attorney in the case, Paulose said that the city has not made “meaningful progress” toward meeting the staffing requirements.
“The city has, in its public statements, has not indicated anything to suggest that it is taking any steps to hire more officers or to stem the departure of currently employed officers,” she said. “And in fact, if anything, the city has indicated that it is heavily relying on overtime to function … to say nothing of accomplishing or going back to that number of 900-something officers, [which] I think would be more appropriate given the spiraling crime that we’re experiencing in this city.”
Doug Seaton, president of UMLC, said Minneapolis residents should have a police force that meets the minimum required by the charter.
“City leaders do not get to ignore the law because compliance is difficult or politically inconvenient,” he said in the press release.
If the city cannot demonstrate why it has failed to meet the 731-officer requirement, the court could issue a peremptory writ, hold the city or mayor in contempt, order the city to comply with the charter or impose another remedy within the court’s authority.
Paulose said she remains concerned about what she characterized as the city’s approach to violent crime and police staffing.
“I continue to be concerned by the lethargic approach of the city in dealing with violent crime and appropriately staffing the police department, particularly in comparison to the alacrity with which they have certainly responded to other issues within the city,” she said. “It seems to me that the priorities are grossly misplaced right now, and there needs to be a return to law and order, and a real focus on recruiting and retaining the best and the brightest for the Minneapolis Police Department.”
The case is expected to proceed through discovery beginning in September, followed by the trial in April 2027.
Mayor Frey’s office did not respond to Alpha News’ request for comment by the time of publication.
Rachael Van Rossum
Rachael Van Rossum is a journalist and author who studies political science in the Twin Cities. She previously interned with the Illinois House of Representatives and recently published her debut fantasy novel "The Hellburner of Sovi." Rachael is passionate about telling compelling stories and bringing to life the voices of political figures, athletes, and members of her community through engaging writing. She is the Alpha News journalism fellow for the summer of 2026.
