SHOREVIEW, Minn. 鈥� Violent crimes such as carjackings and robberies have become more common in the Twin Cities and surrounding areas, Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher told police officers from around the state.
And the incidents 鈥� along with the stories of the victims affected 鈥� should spur a push to prevent the crimes and to hold to account those who commit them.
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鈥淚 could give you numbers all day but what it should be about is the victims,鈥� Fletcher told dozens of police officers gathered Tuesday, July 19, for Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association's summit on violent crime.
Fletcher shared numerous stories of victims of robbery and assault that continued to feel fear and anxiety months after the incidents. The individuals were not named to maintain their privacy.
And he said law enforcement officers needed more tools to help arrest and keep behind bars the people who committed violent carjackings.
鈥淭hese kids have half a dozen previous arrests, maybe a dozen, and are still getting out," he said. 鈥淢ore people need to go to jail."
Juvenile offenders made up a majority of the pool local law enforcement officers had identified as being involved in recent carjackings and instances of robbery. And Fletcher said Twin Cities judges needed to set tougher pre-sentence conditions to prevent them from skipping court and committing additional offenses.
Fletcher pressed state lawmakers to pass legislation that could toughen penalties on those who commit carjackings and use part of the state's $9 billion budget surplus to help law enforcement agencies around the state to combat violent crime.
"We had $9 billion and many of us were at the Legislature trying to get some money for law enforcement," Fletcher said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 still $9 billion sitting in the pot."
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Lawmakers in the divided Statehouse this spring closed out the legislative session without passing a supplemental public safety spending bill.
And while Gov. Tim Walz has said he hopes to call legislators back for a special session to pass such a bill, along with others related to taxes and public projects, legislative leaders have yet to agree on what they should work on at the Capitol.
The governor is the only official who can call the Legislature into a special session. On Monday, July 18, he told reporters that he would consider calling a session without a pre-set agreement.
Democratic lawmakers at the Tuesday conference said it was critical that the Legislature resumes its work to address violent crime in Minnesota.
"Crime is still a problem. Public safety is still a priority," said Rep. Kelly Moller, DFL-Shoreview, vice chair of the House Judiciary and Civil Law Committee. Moller is also a prosecutor. "We remain ready and willing to negotiate and come back and pass the public safety bill."
Moller said that the House public safety plan included additional funding for law enforcement agencies, victim services and juvenile intervention programs, and lawmakers proposed further studying how other states handle juvenile offenders.
Senate Public Safety and Judiciary Committee Chair Warren Limmer, R-Maple Grove, said that many of the concerns that law enforcement leaders raised Tuesday would also be addressed under a plan approved by the Republican-led Senate.
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He also said the state needs to push for accountability for county attorneys that release individuals who commit repeat violent offenses.
"I agree with most of what was said but there was a glaring omission in that he didn't talk much about prosecutors that were not prosecuting. In our urban environments, that seems to be a commonplace occurrence," Limmer said.
Limmer said that he didn't expect lawmakers would be called into a special session during an election year when several unrelated issues could be up for debate in addition to public safety. And that means the issue would likely have to wait, he said.
"As long as a recession doesn't take place, that (surplus) money is still in existence for us to use starting in January," Limmer said.
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