Policy
- The decision to request assistance from other law enforcement agencies is left to the discretion of the requesting agency. As a general guideline, any emergency incident or event that is beyond the capabilities of the requesting agency could reasonably justify assistance under mutual aid. The following personnel are authorized to request assistance from other law enforcement agencies:
- Mayor
- Chief of Police
- Bureau Heads
- On‑duty Watch Commander
These same personnel are authorized to respond to a request for assistance from other agencies covered in the mutual aid agreement.
- The authorized official requesting assistance shall contact the appropriate responding official and include the following information in the request:
- The amount and type of assistance needed;
- The nature of the event or incident;
- When and where assistance is needed;
- To whom the responding agency's personnel should report.
The decision to provide assistance and how much assistance to provide rests solely with the responding agency. The mutual aid agreement does not obligate any agency to respond to a request for assistance and does not create any liability for any agency who chooses not to provide assistance when requested.
- When an agency responds to a request for assistance, the responding official may recall all or part of the resources provided at any time, if needed by the responding agency.
- The agency requesting assistance shall be responsible for managing the event or incident for which assistance is requested.
When Minneapolis police officers respond to a request for assistance from another agency, they shall remain under the direction and control of the superior or senior officer in charge of the Minneapolis detail. The superior or senior officer in charge of the detail shall coordinate with the commanding officer in charge of the event or incident from the requesting agency.
Officers from another agency responding to a request for assistance from Minneapolis shall remain under the direction and control of a superior or senior officer from their agency. The superior or senior officer from the responding agency shall coordinate with the commanding officer in charge of the event or incident in Minneapolis.
Definitions
Refer to the Commonly Used Terms page for general definitions.