Minneapolis City Council, which voted to disband police, hires private security on taxpayer dime

The Democrat-controlled Minneapolis City Council controversially voted to disband its police department in the wake of George Floyd's tragic death.

Now, three members of the city council are costing taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars per week because they have hired private security after receiving threats related to their support for defunding the Minneapolis Police Department.

Andrea Jenkins, Phillipe Cunningham, and Alondra Cano — who have been outspoken proponents of the radical law police reform measure — are costing city taxpayers $4,500 per day in private security fees, KMSP-TV reported.

Over the past three weeks, the city has spent $63,000 of taxpayer money on their private security details, a city spokesperson told KMSP.

The mayor of Minneapolis is traditionally provided with security by the city police department, but city council members are not afforded the same service, KMSP noted.

"My concern is the large number of white nationalist(s) in our city and other threatening communications I've been receiving," Jenkins told KMSP.

Cunningham said, "I don't feel comfortable publicly discussing the death threats against me or the level of security I currently have protecting me from those threats."

However, the Minneapolis PD told KMSP there has not been a filed police report for threats against any of the city's council members, though one could have been filed confidentially.

A city spokesperson said the private security details "are intended to be a temporary bridge until other security measures can be implemented by council members," KMSP reported.