Our service offerings are rooted in data and real-world insights.

Wilder Research provides the tools and the insights you need to make well-grounded, effective decisions.

Wilder walks alongside families throughout their journey—providing care, connection, and support along the way.

Advocating for systemic equity and opportunities for all Minnesotans.

Together, we create pathways to well-being, opportunity, and a stronger community for all.

Wilder has worked alongside communities to break down barriers and create pathways to lasting change.

Research Project

Brooklyn Park Equity in Public Safety

When Minneapolis police officers killed George Floyd in May 2020,…
Date Modified:
Topics:
Project Type
Client Organization

Project Details

When Minneapolis police officers killed George Floyd in May 2020, the nearby city of Brooklyn Park began urgent work, including convening listening sessions and tasking city commissions with creating a work plan to improve the Brooklyn Park Police Department.

In December 2020, the City of Brooklyn Park hired Wilder Research to uncover the root causes of violence in Brooklyn Park, understand community perceptions of the Brooklyn Park Police Department, create research-driven recommendations to improve community safety, and develop a tool to assess and improve the Brooklyn Park Police Department’s performance. Wilder Research reviewed existing research on community safety and policing, analyzed Brooklyn Park specific community survey data related to the root causes of violence, and conducted interviews with residents and employees of Brooklyn Park.

High-level findings:

  • There are risks of violence when people are not economically secure or connected to their community.
  • There are disparities in Brooklyn Park that likely contribute to violence and disorder.
  • Improving traditional policing may not improve safety.
  • Brooklyn Park Police Department policies and interviewee themes support that procedural justice is a key strength; even so, some BPPD policies and Minnesota laws conflict with best practices.

Recommendations:

  • Focus on prevention. To improve safety, the city should address inequities, and ensure that the social conditions where safety thrives are equally distributed across races and places in Brooklyn Park.
  • Improve interventions. The city should explore using community-based mental health and substance use responses, school-based safety workers, and other efforts to reimagine police responsibilities. The city should also partner with community stakeholders to expand focused deterrence initiatives, and interventions including treatment and restorative justice. 
  • Assess BPPD for improvements. We developed a scorecard to measure BPPD performance. We recommend the city, BPPD, and community members impacted by systemic marginalization and police contact partner to assess and recommend changes to BPPD.

Project Reports

2021

This report presents findings from community interviews, a review of community indicators, and a literature review to better understand the root causes of community violence, policing in Brooklyn Park, and ways to address violence in the city.

2021

Wilder Research developed a scorecard to help Brooklyn Park promote transparency, accountability, de-escalation, and positive relationships with Brooklyn Park residents.

2021

This infographic presents a summary of the study findings.

Related Projects

Partner With Wilder Research

Cerovid ut volorup ictatetur, sus eveliqu atesend elecus, as aliquos volecustia volessintisi sum. Bore la si con res dita niae est ulpariosamus sus, quaepuda consedis ex et volorit aspelit et labor mo blamet.

Schedule an appointment

First & Last Name(Required)
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Schedule a Tour

Request Information