New graduating class of Minneapolis police officers include first 'non-citizen' and Somali-American woman

Minneapolis swears in Mexican-born, non-citizen police officer

"I’m not going to say it wasn’t challenging, because it was. I was basically the guinea pig. Nobody knew where to start. I did everything that everybody else did, provided the documentation and everything that I needed to provide. And I also put in the work."

Tim Walz’s Minnesota Swears in First Non-Citizen Cops, Including Hijab-Clad Somali Muslim.

The most populous city in Minnesota, controlled by Democratic vice presidential hopeful Governor Tim Walz, has sworn in its first non-U.S. citizen police officer. Lesly Vera, who was born in Mexico, took the oath of office in Minneapolis last week.The move follows a policy change by the Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) in 2023, eliminating the citizenship prerequisite for law enforcement candidates. Under the new gu…

Minneapolis Swears in First Noncitizen Police Officer

Minneapolis Police Department celebrates hires of first "non-citizen," first "Somali-American woman"

Minneapolis is really excited to announce that its police force now includes a Muslim Somali woman and a woman who is legally Mexican.

Minneapolis police swear in first Somali-American, first non-citizen as police officers

The Minneapolis Police Department lost hundreds of police officers in the aftermath of George Floyd's death because, quite frankly, people don’t want to stay where they are not wanted. Therefore, in such an environment, you will seemingly take whatever you can get.

Minneapolis Swears in First Non-Citizen Police Officer

Lesly Vera was one of over 20 new officers sworn in recently. She hails from Mexico, but has resided in the US since she was four. Vera’s appointment to Minneapolis PD was made possible by a recent change in the law in Minnesota