Minneapolis opens first ‘public safety center’ as pilot project on East Lake Street

After months of planning, public meetings and construction, Monday marked the opening day of the first security center of its kind in Minneapolis.

The Lake Street Safety Center is located next to the Lake Street/Midtown Light Rail station at 2228 East Lake Street.

the vision for the center began to take shape back in February, after the Minneapolis City Council voted to take $500,000 from the money originally recommended for police recruitment and retention and use it instead to open a security center.

The space, consisting of a single winding hallway with rooms full of tables and chairs on either side, used to be a dentist’s office. Now it’s a first-of-its-kind pilot project to bring police and community services together in one community space for neighbors.

As Mayor Jacob Frey and Public Safety Commissioner Todd Barnett noted, Amanda Harrington, who works under Barnett at the Minneapolis Department of Public Safety, has been leading the project for the city from the beginning.

“I would be remiss if I didn’t start by simply saying that director Amanda Harrington did a great job. She brought us here today,” Barnett began, speaking at a press conference with city officials on the day the center opened.

“This is a historic moment for the people of Minneapolis,” said regional council member Jason Chavez.

The center will be open five days a week, with employees from Minneapolis 311 working there every day, and several other groups will have rotating hours.

“We will have crime prevention specialists, community groups, opioid prevention services, 311 and BCR customer service, and our mental health first responders all able to work, partially and at times, outside of that roof,” Mayor Jacob Frey said.

Minneapolis police will also be available and this is a place where they can stop for a snack or to use the restroom, but officials stressed that this is not a precinct and everyone should feel safe entering it.

“We don’t want anyone to feel like they can’t really come into any of our city buildings, but this in particular is a place where everyone should feel welcome,” Harrington said. “Our idea for this center is that you can come to this center for any number of non-emergency services and people should help connect you with someone.”

“Today we see tangible results of our work to ensure public safety. And again, let me be clear: this is only part of it. This was neither the beginning nor the end. This is just one more step,” Barnett added.

The Lake Street Safety Center will be temporary until the city officially opens the new center. 3rd Precinct Police as the South Minneapolis Public Safety Center, probably sometime in 2026.

The city has leased the new space on Lake Street for two years, and Harrington said it will serve as both a small project and a test run for a future larger space.

Security Center opening hours:

• Monday, Wednesday and Friday: from 9:00 to 17:00.
• Tuesday and Thursday: 11:00 – 19:00.

Security Center, City Services and Changing Community Organizations:

• 311 customer service representatives
• Crime Prevention Specialists
• Minneapolis Police Department
• Community Navigators
• Lake Street Safety Coordinators
• Leading Minneapolis
• Behavioral Crisis Response (BCR) Supervisors
• Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches (GMCC)
• Let everyone move forward with dignity (LEAD Minneapolis)

An additional office will also be created for:

• Behavioral Crisis Response (BCR) Team
• Public City Attorney
• Lake Street Social Workers
• Minneapolis Park Police