Cedric Alexander begins work as Minneapolis' community safety commissioner

Alexander is tasked with supervising the city's safety-related agencies.

August 8, 2022 at 6:08PM
Cedric Alexander, left, a veteran law enforcement officer, spoke after Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey introduced him during a news conference last month. (Anthony Soufflé, Star Tribune file/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Cedric Alexander officially began work as Minneapolis' first community safety commissioner after a swearing-in ceremony Monday morning.

"As we move forward, I want everyone to think very collectively about what works well and what it is that we've got to do to work better," Alexander said during the ceremony, which was held in City Hall and streamed on the city's YouTube channel.

Alexander, who reports to Mayor Jacob Frey, now has responsibility for supervising the leaders of the city's police, fire, 911, emergency management and violence prevention programs. The city's elected leaders are writing ordinances that, if approved, would eventually combine those programs into a single Office of Community Safety.

In the interim, Frey has signed an executive order designating Alexander as the person responsible for helping him supervise safety programs and instructing him to work with other city leaders to design the new office.

"This day going forward, you're going to see public safety operate in a very different way," Alexander said during the swearing-in ceremony.

He told the people in attendance: "I need your help. Our public safety entities need your help … We have to do this together."

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