Cop City, Cop University, Cop Corner Store (and Council Conflict)
A couple of explosive meetings saw a Minneapolis Cop City (or Corner Store) proposed, and then pulled back. Would a one-stop $48m training center - with purpose-built realistic scenario areas and virtual reality rooms - reform our police? Where did this come from, and why now? This proposal will be back, so we dig deep into those and many arguments around them. We also cover the extraordinary open conflict between councilmembers that broke out in these meetings. Skip to 1:53 if you only want the drama!
Recorded 3/30/26.
Alert
MN is under threat from federal agents right now. Mill City Hall asks you to plug in and take action:
- Donate to rent support and mutual aid funds
- Defend 612 is a new entry-point to local neighborhood organizing
- Monarca continues to provide trainings for regular folks who want to help, and offers a hotline to report ICE activity: 612-441-2881
- The North Star Alliance is lobbying for state reform to protect non-citizen residents of Minnesota.
Shout-outs
- The re-appointment proceedings for high-level city staff - talked about last episode - is beginning April 7!
- On April 23, Southwest Alliance for Equity will be holding a second session of sharing experiences from the ICE invasion. Jesse shared that their first session was AMAZING so this is highly recommended.
- No Kings 3 was impressive and Jesse highlighted the amazing speech by Flannery Clark, previous guest on the podcast, in a very prime spot during the event.
Don't forget to check out:
- Our Instagram account for clips that are easy to browse and share
- Cam's writings in the 2nd Ward Blog
The Cop City/University/Corner Store Proposal
Officially this is called the City of Minneapolis Community Safety Training and Wellness Center, but that's a mouthful, so "cop city" it is.
- Proposal to acquire property for the training center
- The City council asked research staff to prepare a brief describing the landscape of first responder training facilities. That research is worth a glance:
Council Meeting Videos
Media coverage
- Linnea Palmisano opinion in favor. She has worked on this proposal since 2018.
- Soren Stevenson opinion in opposition to the project
Consent Process Background
Is the city legally obligated to build this specific proposal? The answer seems to be: "maybe - or maybe it could go back to the independent evaluator and get permission to do something else."
- MN Dept of Human Rights settlement agreement requires, on page 79, a Facilities Assessment
- Facilities Assessment recommends, on page 51, "Build a new dedicated one-stop shop for all training activities (classroom, scenario, virtual, driving track, firing range)."
- Facilities Response Plan, presents that recommendation to the independent evaluator - ELEFA - on page 31.
- ELEFA approved the Response Plan
- ELEFA is the arbiter of whether the city is in compliance with the agreement or not.
Notes from the Briefing
The Committee of the Whole got a presentation around the legisltaive briefing.
Number of times an agency is mentioned in the briefing
- Police: 46
- Fire: 53
- EMS: 13
- Behavioral Crisis Response: 2j
Comparison Training Facilities
It's somewhat funny that the controversy over the Atlanta training facility - dubbed Cop City by critics - only gets mentioned as a footnote: "The project also illustrates key considerations associated with facilities of this scale"
- North Metro Regional Public Safety Training Facility
- NW twin cities metro
- approximately 58,000 sq. ft. multi-agency
- expanded in 2023 with a 40,000-square-foot addition costing approximately $17.5 million,
- operating costs are estimated at approximately $1 per square foot for building maintenance, equating to roughly $50,000 to $60,000 per yea
- Although the facility was initially envisioned as a potential multi-disciplinary training center, participation from fire departments has been limited.
- First Responders Skills Training (FiRST) Center
- Lakeville
- currently under construction and is anticipated to be open by late 2026
- Minnesota State Patrol personnel and local law enforce
- 40,000-square-foot training facility
- $25.8 million
- HERO Training Center
- Cottage Grove
- developed to support police, fire, and emergency medical services training across multiple jurisdictions
- $11.5 million in state funding and roughly $10 million jointly contributed by the cities of Woodbury and Cottage Grove
- Construction costs totaled approximately $20.5 million,
- Richard H. Rowan Public Safety Training Center
- funding picture is murky here, was this gifted?
- South Metro Public Safety Training Facility
- Edina
- operates partly through facility rental agreements, allowing agencies to schedule training sessions as needed.
- Sioux Falls Public Training Facilities
- represents a modern example of a purpose-built
- 42 acres within a larger 100-acre land acquisition
- $55 million to construct,
- 100,000 square feet of training facilities
- Austin Public Safety Training Campus (PSTC)
- provides a useful example of a purpose-built multi-agency
- 44 acres
- in part by a $20 million bond initiative
- 53,000-square-foot classroom building
- 47,000-square-foot indoor pistol range with dedicated cadet and officer training areas.
- Because the campus is shared across three major public safety entities, classroom space and training facilities are frequently overextended, resulting in scheduling conflicts
- Overall, Austin’s experience highlights both the strengths and limitations of multi-agency training campuses. While co-location enables interdisciplinary training and resource sharing, it also requires sufficient scale, dedicated training environments, and long-term planning to avoid space constraints and ensure that scenario-based training capabilities are fully realized.
- Atlanta Public Safety Training Center (aka Cop City)
- Atlanta Public Safety Training Center is one of the largest recent public safety training facilities
- $115 million
- 85 acres
- reflects a broader trend toward large-scale, integrated training campuses that consolidate functions and support coordinated, cross-disciplinary training
- "The project also illustrates key considerations associated with facilities of this scale"
Atlanta Cop City
Where does the term Cop City come from? A $115m project in a wooded area of Atlanta, to build an elaborate police training center (Atlanta taxpayers paid $67m of that). Committed protest and direct action was launched by activists under the banner Stop Cop City. Intense state repression followed, including the murder by law enforcement of 26-year-old Manuel “Tortuguita” Paez Terán. The Georgia Attorney General is still going after activists.
The Atlanta Facility is mentioned in the legislative briefing prepared by staff and presented to the Cmte of the Whole as a comparison point. CM Palmisano objects to labeling the Minneapolis proposal "Cop City" as "disingenuous" "misinformation." The Atlanta Cop City facilities include:
- Mounted patrol facility
- Mock city
- Education center
- Emergency vehicle operations course
- Mock fire station
That's definitely bigger than the Minneapolis proposal, but there is a lot of conceptual and functional overlap. More references on Atlanta / Stop Cop City: