St. Cloud Police Chief Addresses Recent Spike in Violent Crime

(KNSI) – A recent spike in crime is keeping many cities – St. Cloud included – on edge.

Earlier this month, two women were found shot to death on back to back days. Four people were arrested and charged for the murder of Keisa Marie Lange on June 3rd. Even though police say there are notable similarities between the two homicides, the person responsible for killing Janesa Lashay Harris on June 2nd remains free. Sunday morning, a teenager was shot after a large fight broke out downtown, and a few hours later, Dr. Edward Ward, St. Cloud State University professor, was gunned down while standing in the doorway of his home.

Members of the community are asking what exactly the police are doing to curb the fighting and the violence.

St. Cloud Police Chief Blair Anderson says officers are out on proactive patrols on weekends around the bars and restaurants.

“We’re doing our best and we’ll continue to do so to increase our presence down there and try and get these things under control and get them stopped before they start honestly.”

Anderson says, frequently, things happen where officers are not, adding that those on patrol are aware of what they could encounter, especially at bar close.

Sunday’s incident happened just before 1:00 a.m., right in front of a police officer who says he witnessed a “volitile crowd” growing near the H lot and saw one person in the crowd raise a gun and fire several shots in the direction of the Centre Square parking ramp. When the crowd scattered, a 17-year-old boy was injured. He was shot in the arm and the foot. He was taken to St. Cloud Hospital, where he was treated and released.

Chief Anderson says part of the problem is that those who should be in jail are walking free.

“Most of the people, if not all of them that we’ve been dealing with that we’ve been arresting for violence are out on probation, and we’ve got to find a way to keep these people locked up so they’re not wreaking havoc on our streets. It’s getting out of control. We are making that pitch and that petition to the judicial branch and emphasizing that we need these people that we bring into custody [are] kept in custody, so that we can get a hold on this stuff out here.”

Anderson explains that sometimes, when certain incidents happen, investigators can tell who is out of jail, that’s how much contact police have had with certain repeat offenders.

Dr. Ward was shot to death Sunday morning while standing in the doorway of his home in an apparently random attack. The man accused of shooting him was from Duluth, had no connections to St. Cloud, and was a convicted felon. He was already sentenced to more than a year in jail last October for drug possession and domestic assault but was freed in February.

Anderson says the department has never had any contact with the suspect, and they don’t know why he was in St. Cloud, to begin with. He called the shooting “just a really, really horrible and unfortunate event but that that crime was committed by someone who’s not part of our community which, to me, stings even more.”

So, how did the suspect even get his hands on the gun? Anderson says there are various ways, including outright stealing, but there is another way. He says straw purchasers are a person who is legally allowed to buy a gun, and they buy it for someone who is not allowed to buy or own a firearm. The gun is registered by the legal owner in their name, and then hand it over to the person who isn’t allowed to buy or own one. Straw-buying is a gross misdemeanor that carries a maximum fine of $3,000.

Anderson says he believes another underlying cause is at home, where parents don’t discipline their children, and there aren’t consequences for wrongdoing. He calls it frustrating because “then those people become clients of ours, and they make other good citizens feel unsafe.”

Anderson wants to reassure those who live or work in St. Cloud and visit the city that the police are working on these issues and made a pitch to people saying “Please, I want our fine community to know that we know how much support we get from them and we’ll keep things under control for them. Please. I don’t want people holed up in their homes afraid to go out or go downtown.”

Anderson says public safety and protection are their responsibility and not one that is taken lightly.

“We’ve got the guns used in those incidents, and we’ll continue to work harder to do some more prevention before these things get out of hand. Sadly enough when somebody makes up their mind to do something, they’re going to do it but we’re trying to be as proactive as possible.”

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