The Nomination of Dr. Cedric Alexander, Minneapolis’ Soon-To-Be Community Safety Commissioner Raises Urgent Questions

7/14/2022

Written by SJ

Former police officer Dr. Cedric Alexander has been nominated by the mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, to serve as the city’s first-ever community safety commissioner. Dr. Alexander’s nomination comes in response to the outcry over the 2020 murder of George Floyd as well as the results of a two-year investigation into the city’s policing practices, which was launched by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights.

Earlier this year, the MDHR released a 72-page report of its findings, unequivocally determining that “the City and [Minneapolis Police Department] engage in a pattern or practice of race discrimination in violation of the Minnesota Human Rights Act.”

Last Thursday, in a press conference announcing Alexander’s nomination, Frey spoke to future police officers and 911 dispatchers insisting, “You are going to want to work for Commissioner Cedric Alexander. You’re going to want to get on board with this leadership because it’s going to be transformational, and it’s going to be trendsetting nationwide.”

Frey, who often seems confused about where he stands on matters regarding public safety (see his failed attempts to properly ban the no-knock warrant or his refusal to commit to defunding the police), spoke of the necessity of the community safety commissioner position, "We are at a seminal moment in that work to reshape and redefine the way we serve the public for purposes of safety…”

As the community safety commissioner, Dr. Alexander would lead the Office of Community Safety, which has not yet been formally established but will be voted on next week by the City. The office will merge the police department, the fire department, 911, Neighborhood Safety, and the Office of Emergency Management.

Dr. Alexander also spoke at the press conference, making his intentions for the city’s irreparably damaged relationship with its police department known, "We know the history of this community before George Floyd. We know that George Floyd is still very much a part of our lives," Dr. Alexander stated. "People still feel the pain around it, but the most important thing here is that we never forget the history and the challenges, but what we have to look forward to now is a future of change."

The creation of the community safety commissioner position feels, to many, like a performative attempt to placate those unhappy with the city’s discriminatory police force. Instead of dismantling the police department, the city is opting to “reshape” it with Dr. Alexander presumably acting as a mediator between the community and the police.

Last November, nearly 45% of voters voted in favor of replacing the Minneapolis Police Department with a Department of Public Safety. Even though the proposal was rejected, it left nearly half of Frey’s constituents feeling unheard.

Dr. Alexander comes to Minneapolis from Pensacola, Florida. He earned a Doctorate of Clinical Psychology from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and, according to his website, his “background combines a long career as a deputy, a police officer, a detective, a deputy mayor, and a police chief in cities across the United States.” Dr. Alexander was on former President Barack Obama's Task Force on 21st Century Policing and is a consultant for many media outlets and national programs. He is the author of The New Guardians: Policing in America's Communities for the 21st Century.

Dr. Alexander is certainly knowledgeable about the inner workings of police departments and the community’s relationship with them. After all, he has 40 years of experience as a police officer and a policing consultant. However, he’s not filling a police chief position in Minneapolis. He’s filling a position to be an advocate for community safety, something the Minneapolis police have proven incapable of doing.

Does the Minneapolis community want or need a former police officer leading a program aimed at reforming the police department? Would the community be better served if the nominee was not affiliated with policing in any way, reshaping the department with an external eye instead? Is this position necessary while the police department still very much exists in Minneapolis?

Instead of answering those very real questions, the creation of this position appears to be answering a question no one asked. Nobody asked for the creation of the Office of Community Safety without the dismantling of the police department. That option wasn’t on the ballot when voters went to the polls this past November.

The Minneapolis City Council will consider Dr. Alexander’s nomination, as well as the proposed Office of Community Safety, during its vote next Thursday, July 21.