Sheriff is calling for better security screening.
Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek is calling for better security screening at suburban branch courthouses, days after a judge said he feared for his safety at the Brookdale Service Center in Brooklyn Center.
"I know some of the county commissioners say those courthouses only hear misdemeanors, but these misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor cases are domestics and family court issues," Stanek remarked.
"Those types of cases have one of the greatest propensities for violence," he said, "Tempers flare anytime you talk about family issues, divorce and domestic assault."
The four courtrooms in downtown Minneapolis, including a first appearance court located inside the Hennepin County Jail, have full screening including metal detectors and officers with metal detecting wands.
The branch courthouses at Brookdale, Southdale and Ridgedale have armed officers inside the courtrooms, but no visible screening machines.
"I don't want there to be another incident like there was in 2003, where a woman shot and killed someone here in the Hennepin County government center," Stanek explained. "I don't want what just happened several weeks ago up in Cook County."
Final approval received for a new Sheriff’s Office 911 Emergency Communications Center
The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office recently received the final approval needed to begin construction on a new Sheriff’s Office 911 Emergency Communications Facility. The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners voted to approve the schematic design.
"When you call 911, our dispatching system must send emergency services without delay," said Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek, "This is a critical service and we must have the needed infrastructure in order to provide this service in a way that is always reliable and uninterrupted."
The new Sheriff's Office 911 Emergency Communications Facility will be located in Plymouth on county-owned land adjacent to the Hennepin County Adult Correctional Facility. Ground breaking will take place later next year -- with occupancy expected in 2014.
“This is an important project for our own police and fire departments that rely on consistent emergency communications service from the Sheriff’s Office each and every day,” said Plymouth Mayor Kelli Slavik, in reference to a council resolution passed on April 12, 2011.
At its current 911 facility in Golden Valley, the Sheriff’s Office operates one of the largest consolidated public safety answering points in the Upper Midwest. Sheriff’s Office personnel dispatch for 19 fire departments and 23 police agencies in 36 communities.
There is an urgent need to replace the Golden Valley facility because the building cannot support the infrastructure and technology requirements of providing uninterrupted public safety communications in the future. The Sheriff’s Office facility in Golden Valley is 64-years-old.
Consideration and planning for the new facility has been taking place over the past seven years and the project has received widespread support. State legislators have recognized that this is a regional project with statewide significance. As a result, legislators agreed to contribute $4.7 million in state bonding. Resolutions of support were adopted by thirty-four city councils, in cities that receive Sheriff’s Office dispatch services, including Plymouth.
Hennepin County Sheriff participates in a homeland security conference at the White House
At the White House in Washington D.C., Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek is participated in a homeland security conference with counterterrorism experts and with law enforcement from across the country – including other law enforcement leaders from Minnesota.
The homeland security discussions at the White House are focusing on countering violent extremism
.
“We are addressing domestic and international terrorism and it is critical that we remain vigilant in our prevention efforts,” said Sheriff Stanek, “Our discussions are an opportunity to describe the resources and partnerships that local law enforcement agencies need when preparing for an effective response to a variety of public safety emergencies – including threats and acts of terrorism.”
The meeting is titled, "State, Local, and Tribal Enforcement: Full Day Conference on Empowering Local Partners to Counter Violent Extremism in the United States.” The purpose is to inform the Administration and interagency partners on best practices, case studies, and strategies to counter violent extremism in the U.S.
The discussions included an examination of recent cases in the Twin Cities in which several Somali-Americans left their homes in Minnesota and traveled to Somalia to join Al-Shabaab, an al Qaeda-affiliated terror organization. Sheriff Stanek described the tremendous effort law enforcement leaders and the community have made to partner with the Somali community in the Twin Cities, in an effort to prevent other individuals from becoming radicalized.
There were discussions with Department of Homeland Security Director Napolitano and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.
Sheriff Stanek is attending as a representative from local law enforcement and also as a representative of a national organization, the Major County Sheriffs’ Association (MCSA). At the start of 2012, Sheriff Stanek began his term as president of MCSA.
MCSA is a professional law enforcement association of elected sheriffs representing large metro areas. The group advances legislative issues concerning public safety issues and it promotes a greater understanding of law enforcement strategies. MCSA is holding its annual meeting in Washington D.C. this week.
Sheriff Stanek has prior experience working on counterterrorism issues. He serves on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Interagency Threat Assessment and Coordination Group (ITACG) which allows for the sharing of terrorism-related information. He is a member of the national Criminal Intelligence Coordinating Council (CICC), advising the U.S. Attorney General and U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He serves on the board of directors of the National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA) and serves as co-chair of the NSA Homeland Security Committee.
Hennepin County Sheriff Appointed to Homeland Security Committee
September 8, 2011 (Minneapolis) – The president of the National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA) has appointed Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek to serve as co-chair of the NSA Homeland Security Committee. Sheriff Stanek currently serves on the Board of Directors of the NSA.
“I am honored to have been selected as co-chair of the Homeland Security Committee which addresses domestic and international terrorism,” said Sheriff Stanek, “It’s critical that we remain vigilant in our prevention efforts and that we recognize resources needed to respond to all hazards and public safety emergencies.”
Sheriff James Kralik of Rockland County, New York was appointed as a co-chair of the NSA Homeland Security Committee to serve with Sheriff Stanek. NSA is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising the level of professionalism among those in the criminal justice field. It is headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia.
Sheriff Stanek has prior experience working on counterterrorism issues. He serves on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Interagency Threat Assessment and Coordination Group (ITACG) which, through a Presidential directive, allows for the sharing of terrorism-related information. He is a member of the national Criminal Intelligence Coordinating Council (CICC), advising the U.S. Attorney General and U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He has attended an international FBI training program, Leadership in Counterterrorism (LinCT).
The Wanted Five with DWIs
MINNEAPOLIS -- Hennepin County is on the lookout for convicted drunk drivers under a new program. "The Wanted Five with DWIs" was announced Tuesday. It's a new online listing of five people who have been convicted of at least one DWI and are now wanted on active warrants. The individuals are urged to turn themselves in to the Sheriff's Office to clear their warrant.
The program aims at reducing drunk driving offenses.
Too many innocent people have been killed or injured by drunk drivers on our roadways," said Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek, "We will keep coming up with new, innovative ways to address this serious threat until it ends because we owe that to every victim, every family who has lost a loved one."
The public may view photos of "The Wanted Five with DWIs" on the Sheriff's Office website. Once the warrant has been satisfied, a new DWI offender description will be added.
Story from here: http://www.kare11.com/news/article/928548/396/New-wanted-list-for-DWIs-in-Hennepin-Co
Familial DNA:
Background: When a crime lab submits a crime scene DNA sample to the national database (the Combined DNA Index System or "CODIS"), an identical match is sought with a known person who is already in CODIS. This tool can be expanded to include not only identical matches, but also a "close match" between the evidence sample and a known person. Read more…
Potent and Popular, Heroin Booms in Minnesota
Article by: Paul Levy, Star Tribune.
Cases are showing up more frequently that ever here, -- in hospitals, treatment centers, jails and morgues. Heroin abuse is rising in Minnesota and the drug is presenting health and law enforcement officials with a three part problem: It’s expensive, easily available and deadlier than ever.
"It’s getting worse," said Sheriff Stanek. Go back 25 or 30 years and the only way to take heroin was to inject it. Now, kids smoke it, cut it mix it. They’ve come up with new ways to OD."
Click here for more information.
Sheriff's Office Weapons of Mass Destruction Tactical Team.
It is our regional asset for Homeland Security. The team members come from 12 different law enforcement agencies in Hennepin County and are coordinated by the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office.
Hennepin County Police Reserve School
We train reserve police officers across the County. We are in our 40th year and have trained over 4200 volunteers to serve their local communities. I spoke to them at their first night of training. They receive all the training sworn officers do, except firearms.
Updates on Current Drug Trends Across Twin Cities By the Department of Human Services
This report is produced twice annually for participation in the Community Epidemiology Work Group of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, an epidemiological surveillance network of researchers from 21 U.S. metropolitan areas. The Minneapolis/St. Paul ("Twin Cities") metropolitan area includes Minnesota’s largest city, Minneapolis (Hennepin County), the capital city of St. Paul (Ramsey County), and the surrounding counties of Anoka, Dakota, and Washington. Click here for the complete report.
War on prescription drugs starts with medicine cabinets
JEREMY OLSON, Star Tribune
An increase in prescription drug abuse has prompted law enforcement agencies to announce another round of take-back events in Minnesota this month for people to dispose of forgotten or leftover painkillers and other medications.
Some 70 percent of abusers get prescription medicines from friends or relatives - or swipe them from medicine cabinets when nobody is looking, said Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek, underscoring the need to get unused prescriptions out of circulation.
Teens are particularly likely to steal painkillers, stimulants and other drugs from family medicine cabinets.
"Mom and Dad become their children's drug suppliers," Stanek said, "not purposefully, but because of the availability" of medications in their homes.
Minnesota recorded 2,613 overdoses or drug exposures in 2010 involving intentional misuse or abuse of prescription drugs -- a 64 percent increase from 2005, according to the state Poison Control System.
One in four of these incidents involved teenagers.
Stanek said teens often don't understand the dangers of taking excessive prescription drugs, or mixing them with alcohol during parties, because they view them as legal and therefore safe.
Take-back events on June 2 should "reduce the opportunity" for forgotten prescriptions to fall into the wrong hands, the sheriff said.
The county's announcement this week is part of a growing national strategy to curb prescription drug abuse by removing unused medications from homes.
President Obama issued a report Tuesday that specifically listed take-back events among the strategies to address the nation's "epidemic" of prescription drug abuse. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will also be overseeing take-back events on April 30, including events in 50 rural Minnesota communities.
Hennepin County's first take-back event occurred last September and netted 1,740 pounds of medications.
The next two will take place April 30 and June 2. The county accepts prescription and over-the-counter medications from individuals, but not from hospitals or nursing homes. Prescription drugs should be in their original packages, if possible, and in clear plastic bags.
Volunteers from North Memorial Medical Center will sort out the medications for disposal, while the sheriff's department will provide security to ensure none of the controlled substances are stolen.
Many more household thefts now involve prescription medications, Stanek said.
"They leave the TV sets, the guns and money, but they take the prescription meds."
What does Intelligence led policing mean?
Intelligence led policing involves the collection and analysis of information to produce an intelligence end product designed to inform police and aid decision making at both the tactical and strategic levels. It is a model of policing in which intelligence serves as a guide to operations, rather than the reverse and is predicated on the notion that a principal task of the police is to detect and prevent crime rather than simply to react to it." (IALEIA)
Simply put: Information and Analysis = Intelligence
How CISA uses Intel-Led Policing
In support of law enforcement operations, data is analyzed to:
• Provide leads in investigations,
• Help direct enforcement efforts,
• Help allocate resources,
• Present hypotheses about who committed a crime or how it was committed,
• Predict future crime patterns,
• Assess threats facing a jurisdiction.
Twin Cities.com/Pioneer Press reported.
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