The Minneapolis Police Department has hired a new crime prevention specialist (CPS) for the Fifth Precinct, a move that should be gratifying to local community leaders. Faith Randal stepped into the position mid-summer following the retirement of long-time CPS Jennifer Waisanen, who departed at the end of May after many years of service.
OK, great, but what exactly is a “crime prevention specialist?”
Bureaucratic-sounding job title aside, it’s an important role because, among other things, the CPS acts as a first point of contact for local residents who need accurate and timely crime information, or who need help navigating the law enforcement process.
In the immediate aftermath of the 2020 riots and the subsequent spike in crime, area neighborhood and block leaders quickly discovered that Waisanen was one of their first and best sources for accurate information about specific crimes and crime trends.
Neighborhood associations, block leaders and others could then relay this information to the broader community with confidence, whether it be information about specific crimes or emerging crime trends, or to help quell unfounded rumors.
Following Waisanen’s retirement, the Fifth Precinct’s indefatigable Inspector Christie Nelson temporarily took over many of those communication duties, but given her already full plate, it was surely a relief when Randal was hired into the role.
For her part, Randal has an established background in communications and public service. A graduate of South High and lifelong animal lover, she interned with Minneapolis Animal Care and Control during high school and went to work there as an officer shortly after graduating from college, remaining in that role for 10 years before leaving to assume the new CPS position.
Randal attended the University of Minnesota Morris, where she obtained a degree in communications, media and rhetoric. One of the more unusual benefits of attending Morris was that Randal was able to bring along her beloved horse, who — she jokes — obtained a degree in nutrition while she was pursuing her own studies.
Randal says she was attracted to animal care at first because of her love of animals, but over time discovered that helping people and engaging with the community was one of the most rewarding aspects of her job. Along with individual community members, she worked with schools, businesses, social services and the MPD, which reached out to recruit her shortly after Waisanen’s retirement.
Randal reports that these first few months on the job have had the typical “drinking out of a firehose” feel, but she is steadily learning her new duties, getting better acquainted with the Fifth Precinct and its residents, and beginning to network with nearby community groups.
That networking is a key part of the job, and Randal says she is working steadily to meet with local groups, to introduce herself, establish solid contacts and educate on the resources the MPD has to share.
As to first impressions, Randal’s communications background is immediately apparent. She presents as confident, calm and well spoken, and is clearly enthusiastic about he new job. About topics she knows, she is able to speak in depth and factually, while also having the good sense and self-assurance to say that there are other aspects she’s still learning.
Randal says there’s no such thing as a typical day. While she does have defined job duties, each day is different.
Case in point: while we were meeting, Inspector Nelson was unavailable because she and her officers were responding to an active shooting, in which a domestic dispute apparently escalated to shots being fired from a Lyn-Lake apartment balcony, then morphed into a multi-jurisdictional manhunt before ending tragically with a suspect being arrested in Willmar after having allegedly murdered an innocent bystander during an attempted carjacking. That’s not a typical day by anyone’s measure.
When not responding to the unexpected, Randal has more regular job duties as a nonsworn MPD employee. In addition to her communications and networking role, Randal is responsible for following up on non-emergency 311 reports, responding to individual citizen concerns, looking for emerging trends and helping assess problem property reports.
One MPD service that readers may not know about: time permitting, Randal and other MPD staff are available for in-person security consultations for both homes and businesses, free of charge. The MPD also offers personal safety classes.
Randal says she is looking forward to doing more networking over the coming winter and hopes to be regarded as a “go-to” person for matters involving public safety in the Fifth Precinct.
