Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: Rob Allen, 612-919-5918

Sheriff Hutchinson's Statement on Violence in Minneapolis and Surrounding Communities

June 23, 2020 (Minneapolis) - Sheriff Hutchinson released the following statement regarding the recent violence in Minneapolis and surrounding communities:

I want to address the horrendous violence that is happening in Hennepin County and talk about what the men and women of the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office are doing about it. 

In the past month, more than 100 people have been shot in Minneapolis; there have been additional shootings in some of our suburban cities as well.

It has to stop.

 Our communities are engaged in a dangerous spate of violence, disproportionally affecting communities of color.  As a community we have enough to grieve about without compounding this with the deaths of young people lost to gunfire or experiencing life changing injuries.

It might be easier for police, in these turbulent times, to keep a low profile and fly under the radar. But it isn’t the right thing to do.  We are here to serve the people of this community, and we will partner with Minneapolis and the other agencies who need our help to address this outbreak of gun violence:

We have met with our counterparts at the City of Minneapolis and have been in touch with the chiefs of other local departments as well as community organizations. We have pledged the full resources of Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office to address the criminals who are shooting people in our community. Specifically: 

• We will provide patrol resources to assist Minneapolis and other cities with additional presence in areas where violence has been occurring
• We are utilizing our investigative resources to gather evidence and bring people to justice who are involved in these violent attacks
• We are providing intelligence to all of the law enforcement agencies involved, including link analyses—showing who is involved in these violent attacks and how best to disrupt them.

Let me be absolutely clear: The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office is not afraid to act to ensure the safety of the people. Our motto is “Serving and protecting all in the community by delivering equal justice, safety, and wellness.” We are now working to help stop crime and make the streets safe in a manner that does nothing to further erode the trust between law enforcement and the community. 

This is why words matter, political leaders’ words matter.  Now is not a time for partisan political battles.   It’s a time for unity to pass reform, to pass laws to prevent violence and to hold people accountable for ALL violence.

It is a tough time to stand here and say we are going to make arrests when the community, rightly, has so many concerns about policing.  But we can’t wait for the change before we address the violence that is plaguing our county right now.  We will act to address the violence now, and we are asking for the support of every citizen to prevent even more heartbreak in our community.

– HCSO–

Look for more news on the Hennepin County Sheriff's website at http://www.hennepinsheriff.org.