MINNEAPOLIS — Newly revealed comments from a survey of Minneapolis police officers show many were critical of the department’s leadership.

Minnesota Public Radio News reports the survey comments show leadership was what officers most wanted to change about their jobs. The comments had not been included as part of a previously released analysis of last year’s survey, which showed police were significantly less satisfied with their jobs than other Minneapolis employees.

Deputy Chief Medaria Arradondo said morale “has improved tremendously” since the survey was conducted last year. He said supervisors now must meet with employees once a month and gauge morale.

“The sergeants are invigorated and coming in and talking about their employees,” Arradondo said. “And this gives them — those supervisors, those sergeants — an opportunity every month to really cheerlead the great work that their officers are doing.”

Blong Yang, who chairs the city’s council Public Safety Committee, said the council should keep the survey in mind when Chief Janeé Harteau’s contract is up for renewal in 2016. Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges said she has “absolute faith and confidence” in the police chief.

Police officers also cited what they said were dangerously low staffing levels in their comments. The department is hiring more officers, but won’t be back to full strength until sometime this year. Together, officers received an extra $1 million in overtime pay last year during the staffing shortage.

A 2011 survey of Minneapolis police officers showed similar levels of dissatisfaction under a different chief. City Council President Barbara Johnson, who has been on the council for 18 years, said police typically have low morale compared with other city employees.