The City Council has approved Mayor Jacob Frey’s nomination of Cedric Alexander for the City’s first Community Safety Commissioner.
As the Community Safety Commissioner, Alexander will oversee the mayor’s newly proposed Office of Community Safety, which would integrate five departments: 911, Fire, the Office of Emergency Management, Police, and Neighborhood Safety, which would include the Office of Violence Prevention. The office is one of the major elements of Mayor Frey’s proposed executive government structure.
Alexander, who has a doctorate in clinical psychology, brings more than 40 years of executive leadership in civil service, law enforcement and public safety to this new role. He has previously served as the director of public safety for DeKalb County in Georgia where he oversaw police, fire, emergency response and 911. He also served as the chief of police and later deputy mayor for the City of Rochester, New York, president of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, and a member of President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing.
“Today marks a seminal moment in our work to reshape and redefine community safety in Minneapolis,” said Mayor Jacob Frey. “Our communities have called out for safety, they’ve called out for change, and Dr. Alexander has answered the call. I am grateful to the Council for confirming his nomination today. Now the real work begins.”
“I am thrilled to welcome Dr. Cedric Alexander to #TeamMinneapolis. His experience, leadership qualities, and national networks will help us chart a new path forward toward greater police accountability to improve public safety in the city of Minneapolis,” said City Council President Andrea Jenkins. “We must work together to heal our city and address the systemic issues that lead to the unconscionable levels of violence in our communities. We all have a role to play in overcoming these challenges.”
“We need to bring these five public safety departments together – so they can work together, they can be creative and idealistic together. We need to move policing forward and rebuild relationships in the community,” Alexander said. “I’m here to help, but it’s going to take all of us in this great city to make Minneapolis a safer place for everyone. We can’t forget the past, but we truly do have to look toward the future. We need to redesign our approach to public safety so everyone is working together.”
Alexander’s first official day of employment will be Monday, Aug. 8.
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