Brooke Blakey's meteoric rise in the Metro Transit Police Department was cut short last year amid accusations she violated department rules on accepting gifts. She believes she was treated unfairly, and racism and sexism both played a role in the investigation.
The law enforcement boost and other measures come after a man was shot and killed on a C Line bus in downtown Minneapolis last week, and following a fatal stabbing on the Blue Line light rail in January.
The number of full-time Metro Transit police officers is the same as it was when the safety initiative was announced last summer. Eight full-time officers were brought on board since then, but staffing advances have been thwarted by attrition. While the department is authorized to employ 170 full-time officers, only 111 are on the payroll.