Omar, a Minnesota Democrat, blamed the city's police officers for not keeping up with their oath of office.
"What we must also recognize is that the reduction in policing currently in our city and the lawlessness that is happening is due to two things," Omar said at a town hall on Saturday. "One, the police have chosen not to fulfill their oath of office and to provide the public safety they are owed to the citizens they serve."
According to the Uniform Crime Report, violent crime in the city rose roughly 17% in the past year.
WATCH: "WE WILL OPEN YOU UP LIKE A SOFT PEANUT"
In Minnesota, Derek Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree accidental murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter.
"The Minneapolis Police Department is the most dysfunctional police department in our state and probably in our country," Omar added.
WATCH: HOW WAS JURY SELECTION HANDLED IN TRUMP'S TRIAL?
She added that the second goal for reducing control and disorder is a lack of "accountability" and "responsibility" taken for police officers' actions.
A LOOK INSIDE DEMOCRATS' PLAN TO WIN BACK THE HOUSE WITH RECORD INVESTMENT
Omar's approach to crime includes backing a Nov. 2 ballot measure to replace the entire Minneapolis police department with a "Department of Public Safety." The measure would remove the requirement the city has of a minimum number of officers based on the city's population.
Minneapolis, the state's largest city, has had to oppose the surge. At the same time, its police department experienced staffing and morale problems after George Floyd was killed by a police officer in the city, many say that fueled the crime surge. Others have pointed to a rise in unemployment and other stresses brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Other large cities experienced similar issues. But Omar pinned the blame squarely on the shoulders of the city's police department, accusing it of being "dysfunctional."
DEMS' LAST-MINUTE BID TO SAVE SEATS AMID SOUTHERN BORDER TURMOIL!
The Democratic lawmaker blasted the department for lack of accountability, saying it is something that "doesn't exist at this moment."
FOX NEWS COLUMNIST TEARS APART MTG'S "RECKLESS AGENDA"
"And I do believe that the current charter that we have does tie the hands of those who want to have that accountability," Omar added. "We are mandated to have a specific amount of policing. We are directed to have this kind of union contract that you have right now.
"I don't know any other big city in the state of Minnesota that has the charter that we have," Omar concluded.
Discover alternative ideas that will make you think
Engage in mind bending debate
Earn points, rise in rank, have fun
