Mayor Jacob Frey Defends Millions Spent in Police Overtime | Use-of-Force Investigation after Isanti Standoff | August 6

Honey, did you invite the minions over? Well, you know how we talked about getting Wi-Fi from Xfinity? Yeah. I ordered it this morning, was online in minutes, then they showed up. So they just came over to use the Wi-Fi? For what? Better not to know. Get online in minutes with same-day Wi-Fi from Xfinity. Plus lock in your price for five years and see minions and monsters only in theaters. Exfinity, imagine that. Restrictions apply not available in all areas. Learn more at exfinity.com slash same-day Wi-Fi. This episode is brought to you by Facebook. So you were scrolling on Marketplace, and there it was, the bike you'd been searching for. You sent a message, and it turned out the seller was super chatty, kind of funny, and an avid cyclist. The next thing you know, you're in a cycling crew, well, a community cycling group. The thing about Facebook, you might find more than what you're looking for. From a browse to a bike ride, this summer find more on Facebook. You're listening to Four Things to Know, a WCCO Daily News podcast. Today is Thursday, August 6th. I'm Maria Lysignoli. And I'm Johnny Connor. Thank you for watching and listening to Four Things to Know today. Our top story. Today, Minneapolis City leaders are giving us an update on the police department's overtime pay. In January, WCCO reported that officers worked at least $3 million over budget during Operation Metro surge. Frankie McClister was at that news conference today and has more on what Mayor Jacob Frey had to say. This meeting was what the mayor said to kind of clear up misinformation. He said about the MPD overtime pay. Now, it was also, they also discussed that a lot of the events that we saw here in Minneapolis crisis events, he mentioned the overtime was completely unavoidable. We were drastically undercounting the dollar figure necessary in the budget to complete those overtime hours. We have done that for as long as I can remember. The difference, however, is that we used to be able to accommodate those overtime hours with the vacancy savings that resulted from attrition in the police department. So in other words, if you're expecting to have 880 officers and you instead have 630 officers, we would use those savings. Those savings would then go into overtime. Number two today, the Minnesota BCA is investigating a use of force incident during a standoff last night in Isanti, but thankfully nobody was hurt. The standoff started yesterday afternoon, and Isanti police got a report of a man throwing things into the street. That man went into a home, and police say gunfire coming from that home led to evacuations for neighbors or notices to shelter in place, and several homes were struck by that gunfire. Amy Baumart is one neighbor, and she lives in the area, but she says she was...

not surprised to hear which house police were surrounding. When I got home from the grocery store, I got to the neighborhood, everything's blocked off. I went around the other side, and the cop came up to me and said that there was an active shooter, and I immediately knew it was the guy with the bus across the, across the street from us. The home involved did have a school bus parked in the driveway, but Cambridge Isanti School says that is not an active bus from their fleet. Police say more than six hours into negotiations, an Anoka County SWAT team member did shoot at the suspect, but no injuries were reported. Everyone in the home, including the suspect, was taken to a hospital to get checked out since chemical munitions were used during the standoff. The suspect was then taken to jail. Number three, a local sheriff says she's being threatened to be arrested for how her office handled the ice surge. A New York Times report says federal immigration officials recently started saying they would criminally charge Hennepin County Sheriff DeWant and a sheriff in Chicago. Amy Coney Barrett Leone breaks down the allegations and how the sheriff is responding. The sheriff says this will not change how she operates her department. But this agreement, it all stems from when the Hennepin County Jail turns people over to immigration enforcement. And like you said, according to the New York Times, feds hand delivered letters to Sheriff Dewanowit and others threatening arrest if they did not fully cooperate with immigration authorities. Now, according to the Times, reports, the letter started back in July, and those letters warned that she could face witness tampering charges. Back in February during Operation Metro Surge, WIT told WCCO that the Hennepin County Jail would cooperate with ICE if agents obtained a judicial warrant for an individual's arrest. The Department of Homeland Security said the letters this summer were an effort to compel sanctuary politicians to hand over dangerous criminals so they can be deported. In a post on social media, Sheriff Witt shares that federal officials threatened to arrest her personally. She says there is no legal basis for the witness. tampering claim and says her office is following the law. In a continued statement online, Witt says the threats won't cause her to abandon her legal responsibilities or disregard the Constitution. She says her focus will remain on protecting Hennepin County residents and keeping communities safe, adding, quote, I will not stray from that mission in the face of intimidation. Homeland Security tells us some of the worst of the worst criminal aliens were released in Minnesota because of their sanctuary policies, pointing to six cases involving undocumented immigrants charged or convicted with serious crimes, adding, quote, non-cooperative jurisdictions have a choice, stop harboring criminal illegal aliens and releasing them into their communities or work with ICE to make America safe again. ICE will not be slowing down on enforcing federal law. Now, you might remember Sheriff Witt considered opening the door to limited work with ICE if it meant that Operation Metro Surge would slow down and end. However, she tells the New York Times that now, more than ever, she feels more confident, that her agency should not work with immigration enforcement. And your fourth thing to know today, Maria, this is actually one we first talked about yesterday.

It has to do with Chipotle, and we have new information about the tainted jalapinos that are making Minnesotans and many others sick with salmonella. We recently learned a Minnesota woman is suing Chipotle after she wound up in the hospital. She says she ate a burrito bowl with jalapinos at the Roseville location back in June, and three days later, doctors were treating her for a life-threatening salmonella complication. Chipotle is one of the main restaurants that served jalapinos that health officials believe are linked to the outbreak. The CDC said salmonella has now infected 345 people across 27 states. 36 of those have gone to the hospital, but thankfully no one has died. The CDC says the jalapinos came from Mexico and were distributed by coast citrus distributors. Chipotle and Kudoba have now stopped serving them. And investigators believe the peppers mainly went to restaurants or wholesale, but are still trying to figure out whether any wound up at grocery stores. If you bought any jalapinos recently, try to check, obviously, where those came from. You can, I know, right? It's always hard. You never really know where your food's coming from, but it is tough when Chipotle is right across the street from WCCO, and you have like 10 minutes to go and grab food. Yeah. That happened to me today. And you got it, but you're feeling okay. I got Chipotle. I know. I'm like, you know what? They said they pulled them. So they pulled the bad ones. So, you know. You're trusting them. And I'm not getting anything with jalapinos. Right. Well, I don't know if they're mixed into, like, their seasoning and things like that. I have no idea. I got it yesterday as people listening will remember. I'm here. And you're here. But I mean, it is scary, you know. I know. It's not a good feeling being sick, especially that kind of sick from food. So that's why we wanted to let you guys know to stay safe and just keep you aware. So those are the four things to know today. Now let's check in on our forecast. Hey guys. Thanks for the meteorologist Adam Delrosso checking in things remaining pretty quiet tonight. We'll have a mainly clear sky overnight low temperatures a little bit milder compared to the last several nights. We're going to be going from the mid 80s this afternoon through the 70s and eventually into the upper 60s to kick off our Friday. It's going to be a little bit more humid for our day tomorrow. We'll have a mix of sun and clouds and there could be an isolated storm from the metro and point south and eastward as we head later in the afternoon and into the evening hours. I think most of the day we're going to be able to stay dry. And now, here's more to know. A woman is dead after a motorist struck her on a busy interstate in St. Paul. State Patrol says it happened on I-94 at West 7th Street. A 46-year-old woman in a Lincoln, MKX, was driving west on 94 just after midnight. The driver then hit the 26-year-old pedestrian in the center lane of the road, and she died from her injuries. We'll continue following developments in this deadly crash. A familiar phase from Minneapolis residents dealt with some chaos on a recent flight.

I don't know if he was high or what it was, but he was cussing. He was threatening people around him and threatening the flight attendants. Yeah, you probably recognize his voice. That's former Minneapolis police chief Brian O'Hara, and he's talking about another passenger that got aggressive on his flight yesterday from Newark to Fort Lauderdale. The flight attendants tried de-escalating the situation for about 45 minutes before O'Hara says he stepped in. When he got up and lunged, I think there were two guys that came from behind. I think there were federal law enforcement officers. They grabbed from behind. I grabbed them from the front and we eventually handcuffed him. O'Hara says he and the officers belted the guy into a seat so the plane could land. Now, remember, O'Hara resigned as the Minneapolis police chief a few months ago because of an internal investigation into his conduct. He told us he's proud of what he accomplished in Minneapolis, and he's now doing consulting work. But right place, right time to have a police chief. If I was on that plane, Brian O'Hara would be someone I would want there to help. You know, de-escalate the situation. He could get it done. He certainly did. And he did. He definitely did. Oh, I know it's really nice out right now. But Minneapolis Park Board says swimmers should stay out of Cedar Lake right now. Unfortunately, a blue-green algae bloom is in the water and could move to any of the beaches. This algae is dangerous for people and pets. And the city says the recent hot weather is ideal for the algae to grow. Which Johnny is a bummer because I had plans to go out there this weekend. Really? To swim. To swim. Oh, you're going to have to pick another spot. Exactly. I'll have to keep an eye on it. You can always look at the Minneapolis Parks and Rec website to check out all of the beaches within the area. Just to double check before you head out there in your swimsuit. Good to know. Good to know. Let's get to another story. An organization dedicated to honoring veterans says it's the victim of theft. Veterans Honor Flight of North Dakota and Minnesota is a nonprofit offering free flights to Washington, D.C. That's where veterans can visit memorials built in their honor. The organization says someone stole a trailer full of merchandise on Monday morning in Moorhead. Veterans Honor Flight asks anyone with information to please reach out or call the police. Not a good story. No, but here's something that's pretty cool. Happening today in St. Paul, a free celebration as the city unveils a surprise milestone to one of its most recognizable buildings. Tonight, we'll learn about the new chapter for the first national bank building in downtown St. Paul. The event starts at 7 and goes until 9 at Kellogg Mall Park. There's going to be long games, food trucks. and a chance to connect with your neighbors. And it has that iconic number one bad sign. I know. And I always remember growing up, I never knew what that was. I was like, that's the one building. First National Bank. So we'll see what the new deal is. I know it's had different owners over the years. And yeah, we don't know yet. We'll see. Speaking of ones, hopefully the twins can get their first win in five games. They've lost four in a row. Another one last night. They only got two hits and lost two to one. So pitching wasn't the problem.

Clearly, they're not doing great right now. Hopefully they can get one more win tonight. They're in Kansas City. The Links host LA Sparks tonight in Minneapolis at Target Center. And, of course, we still have the best record in the league 25 and 6. I bet they'll get a number one tonight. I mean, they're just 25. That's insane. Yeah, they're doing great. L.A.'s not doing great. However, they're 11 and 18. So like you said, that should be another win. And this is fun. The gophers are back with a chance to make some waves this ball. If you're wondering what sport we're talking about. volleyball. Ah, yes. Almost volleyball season. Yeah, the team started their pre-fall workouts. Five freshmen were a part of last year's team, and that could pay dividends due to all that experience they gained. We actually heard from head coach Keegan Cook. Besides the normal enthusiasm you have this time of year is just a little more maturity and consistency. I think that's what you hope for as a team gets older as they look like themselves more days than not. And watching volleyball is one of the most fun sports to watch because it is so constant. The ball's always moving, and they're so good. They're so good, so tall, they can jump high, you know, and just smack the ball. It's crazy. It's crazy. Yeah, how quickly they can hit it. And they're passing. It's a cool sport. If you've never seen it in person, I recommend, the gophers are really good. They really are. Okay, for our bright spot, a little bit of a different sport. It's time to take a breath with your daily bright spot. They aren't your average baseball team. And today is your chance to meet some of the players and get a sweet treat while you're at it. Of course, we're talking about the famous Savannah bananas. Boom. You know, that's the team of players who just like kind of break the baseball rules. They like break into dances, have little silly moments during the games. And they're fun to watch. Okay. And I was reading this earlier. They're playing at Target Field this weekend. All three games sold out. Really? Yeah. I did hear, and people were looking for tickets, and they're kind of, because they're sold out, they're kind of expensive now. And it's like, oh, wow, you want to go pay hundreds of dollars to go see a silly baseball game? I'd rather go to DQ. And you could. And you could. Johnny, great segue. A few of the players are going to be at DQ in Woodbury tonight. So from 630 to 830, you can meet some of the players, get autographs, pictures, win prizes. And if you're not going to the three sold-out games at Target Field this weekend, that's your chance to meet some. There you go. Get a banana split, maybe. Funny. Banana Savannah, Savannah split. I guarantee you someone will get a banana split on there. They have to. Absolutely. Well, hey, thank you so much for listening here to Four Things to Know. With Johnny Connor, I'm Maria Lizignoli, and we're here with the news you need every weekday afternoon by 3 o'clock. Listen to Four Things to Know, a WCCO Daily News podcast, wherever you get your podcasts.