Governor Tim Walz to Hold Public Safety Roundtable Discussion Tuesday

(KNSI) — Minnesota Governor Tim Walz will be holding a public safety roundtable discussion Tuesday to address surging crime rates.

The roundtable discussion will include city leaders and first responders and comes one day after Governor Walz met with community leaders in North Minneapolis following the deadly shooting Wednesday, February 9th, of 15-year-old star athlete Deshaun Hill Junior. Hill was believed to be waiting for a bus near Penn Avenue North and Golden Valley Road North when he was shot. He died the next day.

Lawmakers are wondering what to do next as Governor Walz is hoping for crime prevention measures, saying each city should decide what cutting crime looks like for their city, whether that’s crime prevention or more officers out on the streets.

St. Cloud Police Chief Blair Anderson testified in front of the Minnesota Legislature in October saying that police “can’t arrest their way out of all of the problems,” but when the right person is “in handcuffs and they are taken to jail, that’s where they need to stay.” He blames judges for going too easy on violent offenders, letting them back out on the streets with little to no bail. Anderson says that doesn’t teach them anything because there aren’t any consequences for their actions, adding, “Imagine how frustrating that is, if you’re the arresting officer and before you’re finished your report, that person’s back out on the street, and they don’t have the mindset of thinking that they’re getting a second chance so they’re not going to reform. They continue to commit more crime.”

He says for anybody who thinks the idea of violent offenders staying locked up is too harsh, “I would invite them to do a ride along when we circle back to check on the victims of those crimes. Ask their opinion.”

Chief Anderson says law enforcement needs to invest in what works and lawmakers need to support the programs showing results.

After more than two hours of debate, the Minnesota Senate passed a bill Monday on wide bipartisan support that would direct $1 million into a law enforcement ad campaign.

SF 2848 funds a marketing campaign to highlight the benefits of a career in law enforcement and sets aside an additional $1 million in funding for the Pathways to Policing program to attract nontraditional candidates interested in a career in law enforcement.

The bill’s author, Republican Senator Karin Housley of Stillwater, said the bill is aimed at boosting morale and helping attract more police officers to the state. Housley says that many in law enforcement feel unappreciated, and many law enforcement agencies are struggling with staffing shortages.

It passed on a 51-15 vote. A companion bill is making its way through a House Public Safety Committee.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety says it supports a multi-million dollar proposal put forth to allocate $300 million in grants for public safety and another $30 million for harder hit areas to minimize violent crime. Both Democrats and Republicans say they back financial incentives, including tuition assistance for those seeking a degree in law enforcement and criminal justice and mortgage incentives for officers to buy homes in the communities they serve. Senate Republicans say their approach would also include more aggressive prosecution of criminals.

Public safety is expected to be a major campaign issue this fall. Last year, Minneapolis tied its all-time homicide record, and there were nearly a thousand carjackings in the city. St. Cloud also saw a record five homicides in 2021.

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KNSI News Reporters Jake Judd and Jeff McMahon contributed to this report.

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