St. Paul police overtime spending was down about half a million dollars in the first half of the year compared to the same period last year, the assistant chief told the city council Wednesday.

There was back-and-forth between the city council and the mayor’s office last year about heavy police overtime spending, and the city council requested a report from the police department about it.

Though the police department has an authorized strength of 619 officers, they haven’t been able to keep their ranks fully staffed. There are 562 officers on the payroll, with 539 available to work, according to the police department.

Most of the $1.4 million in police overtime spending from the general fund for the first six months of this year has been to cover staff shortages — $579,000.

“Like many cities across the country, we’ve relied on overtime as a stop gap to cover a lot of our staffing needs,” which also happens in the fire department, said City Council Member HwaJeong Kim, vice chair of the budget committee, on Wednesday.

For better budgeting and planning, the city council wants to understand the actual costs of running the city, “especially when we’re talking to our residents about why we’re increasing property taxes by a certain amount every year,” said Council Member Saura Jost.

Mayor Melvin Carter presented his 2026 budget proposal on Sept. 4, which relies on a 5.3% property tax levy increase. The city council will finalize the budget in December.

Gun violence decreases, pushing down need for overtime

Another $113,417 in overtime this year has been for investigating homicides and major crimes, which is down from $151,041 last year as gun violence has fallen.

There have been eight homicides in St. Paul this year, compared to 19 in the city at this time last year. Forty-nine people have been injured in nonfatal shootings, according to preliminary information as of last week; there were 77 during the same period last year.

Nonfatal shootings were previously handled by homicide investigators. Designating investigators to solely solve nonfatal shootings led from a clearance rate of 38% at the end of 2023 to 71% for 2024 cases, according to the police department.

Kim said they’re proud of the police department’s success in reducing gun violence.

“At the same time, the city has … limited revenue tools beyond property taxes, state aid,” she said. “… As a council, we definitely have a fiduciary responsibility to ask tough questions, but necessary questions about how we allocate resources.”

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The city’s general fund is on the hook for overtime that happens when officers get a call late in their shift and have to stay to finish it, SWAT team call-outs and middle-of-the night investigations for major crimes.

Overtime also results from filling in shifts due to being short staffed. The discrepancy between the number of officers on the payroll and how many are able to work is due to officers on medical or military leave, among other reasons.

Overtime for rallies and protests, and for presidential or dignitary visits, also comes out of the general fund.

Overtime for events

Two types of overtime are fully reimbursed: Contractual, when a business hires an officer to work as off-duty security; and special event, when officers work at sporting events, festivals or concerts. The total police overtime, including those two types, was nearly $5.2 million vs. $5.7 million in the first half of the year compared to the same time last year, according to the police department.

Officers sign up for overtime based on seniority, and businesses and organizations are currently charged a flat rate of $126 per hour, regardless of an officer’s rank, said Assistant Police Chief Paul Ford.

Council Member Anika Bowie said, in talking to event organizers, she hears the police department decides how many officers to assign even if organizers have their own private or volunteer security. Ford said they look for ways to reduce the number of officers they use to staff events.

Various organizers of events in St. Paul have brought up concerns about increasing police costs.

“We want to help bolster our free and open-to-the public events and festivals,” Bowie said.

Council has been asking for info

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Wednesday’s presentation by Ford happened after three city council members wrote in a June memo that they’d requested police overtime information from the mayor’s office in April and May, but hadn’t received a response.

“The administration has remained in regular contact with council leadership and staff over the course of the year on an array of topics heading into the 2026 budget process,” Jennifer Lor, Carter’s spokesperson, said in a statement.

The council memo formally requested the police department provide a report about overtime by Aug. 6. The timeline was pushed back due to the cyberattack on the city, Council Member Cheniqua Johnson said.

The U.S. Attorney’s office has charged a 28-year-old Minnesota woman with fraudulently billing $14 million to Medicaid for a kickback-laden children’s autism program.

Her claims for reimbursement, which authorities say funded real estate purchases in Kenya, were submitted through the state Department of Human Services and UCare, according to charges.

Asha Farhan Hassan is charged with federal wire fraud. In the criminal complaint, federal prosecutors allege that Hassan and her partners recruited parents to her Smart Therapy Center, purportedly for children with autism, and offered them monthly kickbacks of $300 to $1,500 per child if they agreed to participate. She then charged Medicaid for the costs.

She also is charged with participating in the Feeding Our Future fraud case, in which dozens of defendants have been accused of enriching themselves with $250 million in Federal Child Nutrition Program dollars through a summer food service program administered by the Minnesota Department of Education.

Hassan allegedly received $465,000 through the program after claiming she was feeding as many as 1,200 meals per day to impoverished children, seven days per week.

‘First in the ongoing investigation’

Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson called the charges “the first in the ongoing investigation” into fraud in the state’s Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention benefit, a publicly-funded health program providing medically necessary services for individuals with autism spectrum disorder who are under the age of 21.

“To be clear, this is not an isolated scheme,” said Thompson, in a statement. “From Feeding Our Future to housing stabilization services and now autism services, these massive fraud schemes form a web that has stolen billions of dollars in taxpayer money. Each case we bring exposes another strand of this network. The challenge is immense, but our work continues.”

An attorney for Hassan could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.

Among its benefits, the state EIDBI program funded Applied Behavior Analysis, or “ABA” therapy, a type of one-on-one behavioral therapy designed to help children on the autism spectrum develop social and emotional skills. The services were required to be delivered under the supervision of a qualified supervising professional, and clients had to be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder or a related condition and enrolled in a qualifying healthcare program such as Medicaid.

The charges

From November 2019 through December 2024, Hassan and others allegedly carried out a scheme to defraud the state program by registering Smart Therapy LLC with the Minnesota Secretary of State’s office, listing herself as the sole owner. Others who had stakes in the program were not listed on Department of Human Services documents, according to charges, because one of the owners had been excluded from DHS programs for three years based on her conduct running an adult daycare center.

While claiming to be providing necessary one-on-one ABA therapy to children with autism, Smart Therapy allegedly employed unqualified individuals as “behavioral technicians,” including several of her 18- and 19-year-old relatives who had no formal education beyond high school and no certification in autism treatment.

Using monthly kickbacks to drive up enrollment, Hassan and her partners allegedly recruited parents in the Somali community to enroll their children even if they did not have an autism diagnosis and treatment plan.

Some parents threatened to take their children to other autism centers if they did not get bigger kickbacks, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office, and some of the larger families made good on that threat by finding autism centers that would pay them more.

Medicaid claims

Hassan and her partners allegedly submitted millions of dollars in claims for Medicaid reimbursement on behalf of Smart Therapy. Many of the claims were “fraudulently inflated, were billed without providers’ knowledge, and were for services that were not actually provided,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.

Some claims featured fraudulent signatures and approvals from providers that did not work with Smart Therapy or were out of the country on the day services were listed, according to charges. Some of the drivers dropping off children in the morning and picking them up in the evening also were on Smart Therapy’s payroll and offered transportation services billed to DHS.

Hassan also enrolled Smart Therapy in the Federal Child Nutrition Program under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future in July 2020, claiming at first that Smart Therapy was serving breakfast and lunch to 300 children per day, seven days per week, and later claiming to serve 1,200 meals per day.

MN Department of Human Services statement

The Department of Human Services issued a statement Wednesday saying it took steps in the fall of 2024 to do onsite compliance visits to autism providers and took other actions — involving licensure and billing — to improve oversight.

DHS officials said they opened an investigation into Smart Therapy in August 2024. “As soon as law enforcement served search warrants in December 2024, DHS stopped payments,” reads the statement.

In a statement on the charges, Shireen Gandhi, temporary Human Services commissioner, said: “The sophisticated, coordinated web of fraud schemes we are uncovering requires an equally sophisticated, coordinated response from DHS and our law enforcement partners. The U.S. Attorney’s Office indictment today is a critical part of our fight against fraud, and it serves as another crystal-clear warning to criminals.

“Increased investigatory oversight from the DHS Office of Inspector General has been and continues to be an essential factor in the discovery of complex fraud schemes. DHS is taking multiple actions to stop fraud, including stopping payments, designating services as high-risk, bolstering data analytics and establishing licensure.”

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The smile on the face of receiver Jordan Addison said it all.

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison (3) stretches out to catch a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers in the third quarter of a NFL football game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. The Vikings edged the Packers, 27-25. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

After missing the win over the Chicago Bears, the loss to the Atlanta Falcons, and the win over the Cincinnati Bengals while serving his suspension, Addison is set to make his return on Sunday when the Vikings play the Pittsburgh Steelers in Dublin, Ireland.

“My first game back going overseas,” Addison said. “It don’t get no better than that.”

That level of excitement was shared by head coach Kevin O’Connell earlier this week as he prepared to put together a game plan that included Addison as a part of the offense for the first time this season.

“It’s phenomenal to get him back,” O’Connell said. “We’ve had to kind of weather the storm a little bit early on.”

The numbers help illustrate those struggles.

Nobody on the Vikings other than Justin Jefferson has more than 10 receptions and more than 100 receiving yards.

There hasn’t been much production from Adam Thielen or Jalen Nailor, and while tight end T.J. Hockenson might have found his stride, the playmakers for the Vikings need to do more to help whoever is throwing them the ball.

The production should increase across the board now that Jefferson and Addison are leading the charge.

“The way I look at it is with Jordan back we really have four starters at that receiver position,” O’Connell said. “We’ll use those guys accordingly and try to keep people fresh and make sure we’re maximizing the fact that we’ve got really good depth.”

The number of playmakers at his disposal is certainly something veteran quarterback Carson Wentz is looking forward to as he prepares to start under center.

“I get to see the juice that these guys bring with their ability to get in and out of cuts,” Wentz said. “It’s been impressive to see, and I’m excited to play point guard, so to speak, and distribute the ball to them.”

Though he wasn’t allowed to participate in practice or play in games, Addison was allowed to be around TCO Performance Center over the final couple of weeks of his suspension

“Just being isolated by myself I was in my thoughts a lot,” Addison said. “Just being able to come back in the building and chill with my teammates and crack jokes and laugh, it was a big part in the process of coming back.”

Not only did that help Addison stay connected with his teammates, even when he couldn’t be on the field with them, it also helped him stay involved in everything going on behind the scenes so he wasn’t lost when he got back.

“He has been able to be in the building and be in meetings to stay sharp mentally,” O’Connell said. “Now it’ll just be getting him a full week of work.”

The hope is that Addison can pick up right where he left off in the summer when he was routinely making plays.

“He had an unbelievable training camp,” offensive coordinator Wes Phillips said. “He looked like a man on a mission.”

It will be interesting to see how quickly Addison can get up to speed after missing so much time. Not that he seems too concerned. Asked if he feels like he can handle a full workload, Addison smiled and nodded his head.

“The strength staff did a good job preparing me,” Addison said. “I’m going to get right back in and get it going.”

Briefly

As he works his way back to 100 percent, quarterback J.J. McCarthy (ankle) did not practice on Wednesday afternoon. Others that did not participate included defensive tackle Javon Hargrave (chest), left guard Donovan Jackson (wrist), edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel (neck) and tight end Ben Yurosek (knee).

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A lawsuit filed this week asks for the release of Omar Jamal, a Somali community advocate and Ramsey County sheriff civilian officer who was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement last month.

Jamal was picked up by ICE agents on Aug. 29 in Minneapolis and remains at the Freeborn County jail in Albert Lea, where many federal detainees are held. In 2005, Jamal was convicted in federal court in Tennessee on immigration fraud and sentenced to a year of probation.

Omar Jamal speaks at a news conference at the state Capitol in St. Paul on Jan. 27, 2005. (John Doman / Pioneer Press)

Attorneys for Jamal, of Minneapolis, filed a petition in U.S. District Court of Minnesota asking a judge to immediately review the legality of Jamal’s detention. A temporary restraining order seeks to stop ICE from sending him to another country without full due process.

“To be perfectly clear: the United States government is legally and permanently barred from deporting my client, Omar Jamal, to Somalia,” said Abdiqani Jabane, Jamal’s lead counsel, on Wednesday. “This is not a matter of administrative discretion; it is a final, binding order from a U.S. immigration court.”

An immigration judge in 2005 granted Jamal “withholding of removal” to Somalia after finding his life or freedom would be threatened there, according to Jabane, who added the decision was upheld in 2011.

“This form of protection is mandatory and permanent,” he said. “It means the government cannot send him to Somalia under any circumstances unless a court overturns that order, which has not happened.”

Since Somalia is legally off the table, ICE has spent over a decade trying to send Jamal to Canada, which has refused to give him a travel document, said Nico Ratkowski, Jabane’s co-counsel.

“Basically, the only thing they can do is they could theoretically deport him to a third country, if they’re willing to accept him,” Ratkowski said. “But, in reality, that’s never happening.”

If Canada wants to give Jamal a travel document, Ratkowski said, ICE is “absolutely allowed to deport him there. But if they want to try to deport him to Uganda, an immigration judge should get to review whether or not that’s actually safe.”

Applied in Canada, U.S.

According to a 2003 federal indictment, Jamal applied for refugee status after arriving in Toronto in 1989 at age 16 and was granted immigrant status two years later. He then failed to disclose his Canadian immigrant status when he applied for asylum in Memphis in 1998.

Jamal was indicted and arrested in 2003, when he was the executive director of the now-defunct Somali Justice Advocacy Center in St. Paul and an outspoken critic of government efforts to deport Somali refugees to their war-torn homeland. He was found guilty of six counts of immigration fraud, and at risk of deportation.

Jamal’s arrest in Minneapolis was caught on video by the conservative news website Newsmax, which was on a ride-along with the ICE St. Paul field office. A portion of the Newsmax report was later shared on Homeland Security’s X account.

The Department of Homeland Security soon released a statement that said Jamal’s “rap sheet” also includes assault and a court ordered restraining order from his wife and children.

Jabane disputes that claim, saying Jamal told him the assault allegation and restraining order were dismissed. Court records show his criminal history in Minnesota is made up of traffic violations.

Law enforcement work

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Jamal has worked with law enforcement, raised a family and remained in full compliance with the law, Jabane said; his arrest “shocked a community that knows him not as a danger, but as a bridge-builder.”

Jamal, who joined the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office as a civilian community service officer in 2020, also has the backing of Sheriff Bob Fletcher. At the request of Jabane, Fletcher provided an affidavit in which he said he supports a request for Jamal’s release under supervision.

“In my experience, Mr. Jamal has demonstrated professionalism and a commitment to community well-being,” the affidavit read. “I have never known him to pose a threat to public safety. On the contrary, he has often acted as a stabilizing presence and a mediator in complex situations.”