Crime was a top concern for many likely Minnesota voters leading up to the election, and is a major focus of political campaigns. How much it will mobilize voters is an open question.
Republican Jim Schultz has pledged to add dozens of new criminal prosecutors to the attorney general’s office in Minnesota and even circumvent elected county attorneys to fight crime.
As opposed to Minneapolis, which named three out-of-town finalists and recently picked Brian O’Hara, of Newark, as the city’s new police chief, in St. Paul, four out of five candidates come from within the city’s police department.
Candidates Wynfred Russell and Hollies Winston both list crime as a top priority but their proposed approaches provide a stark contrast for voters to choose between.
Advocates and Kobe Dimock-Heisler’s mother say police escalated the situation that resulted in his death.
Candidates Mary Moriarty and Martha Holton Dimick traded responses to questions submitted by the few dozen people in attendance at the forum in north Minneapolis on Thursday.
While some applauded the efforts, others, including students, say the university should be more transparent and include student voices in its decision-making.
Though the motives of the suspects in both incidents remained unclear, hate crimes against Muslim Minnesotans and other communities have been on the rise in recent years.
The biennial budget features nearly $400 million over the two-year life of the budget — 2023-24 — for the police department.
Progressives, including Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-5th, have strenuously objected to providing more federal money for police instead of programs aimed at helping the poor.
Many residents are concerned about the equipment’s potential for abuse and whether a department seen by many as unaccountable should have access to that type of technology.
Residents say people openly sell and use drugs, lamenting that when they call in the criminal activity, the dealers are gone by the time the officers arrive.
