The Minneapolis Public Health and Safety Committee on Tuesday approved a legislative directive requiring businesses and institutions to possess opioid antagonists like Narcan, while receiving updates on police case clearance rates and the city's expanding opioid response programs.

Committee Chair Jason Chavez said the opioid directive would help reduce overdose deaths and tackle the epidemic by requiring Narcan possession in certain city institutions. The committee also set a public hearing for December 3 on a lead paint ordinance and approved several other administrative items.

Deputy Chief Emily Olson presented data showing Minneapolis police cleared cases at varying rates across crime categories, with property crimes showing particularly low clearance rates. The department currently has 90 investigators compared to 161 in 2019, representing a 43% reduction in staffing. Olson cited external barriers including technological challenges, lack of cooperation due to fear of retaliation, and weather conditions that compromise crime scenes.

The committee also heard from Deputy Commissioner Heidi Richie about the city's opioid response efforts, which have contributed to a 26% decrease in fatal opioid-involved overdoses in Minneapolis in 2024. The city's Mobile Medical Unit, launched in August, has interacted with over 1,300 residents and provided healthcare services to 178 individuals. The unit has distributed 336 boxes of Narcan and made 110 referrals for housing and treatment services.

Richie outlined several initiatives including Narcan vending machines at three fire stations, syringe abatement programs, and the First Step hospital-based intervention program. The city is also partnering with the University of Minnesota on a neuroscience-based prevention curriculum called Brainwaves for youth in school-based clinics.