About HCSO
The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office serves more than one million residents across Hennepin County, which includes the county seat in Minneapolis. Sheriff's Office headquarters are in downtown Minneapolis with divisions and unit facilities located throughout the county.
Most of the Sheriff's Office duties - from managing the county jail and securing the district court - are mandated by state law. Other initiatives, from undercover narcotics investigations to homeland security activities, are initiatives the Sheriff's Office engages in "to keep and preserve the peace of the county," the office's broader mandate.
Working together with approximately 800 employees: the Sheriff, Chief Deputy, Inspectors, Licensed Deputies, Detention Deputies and Civilians, have adopted a Mission and Vision Statement, and have implemented a Strategic Plan to meet 7 Principles and Priorities for the Agency, including the following:
- Fight Violent Crime in Hennepin County and Target the Lethal Combination of Guns, Gangs,
Kids and Drugs:
- Formed the Hennepin County Violent Offender Task Force proactively targeting the most violent offenders in the County.
- Created the Criminal Information Sharing & Analysis Unit.
- Created the Special Enforcement Response Team (“SERT”)(a resource for local law enforcement to fight violent crime through information-led policing).
- Conduct an end of year warrant sweep in 2009: HCSO officers arrested more than 100 individuals with warrants, 144 sex offenders were brought into compliance, and more than 40 individuals voluntarily turned themselves in on outstanding warrants.
- Formed the Suburban Juvenile Initiative to closely monitor juveniles on probation.
(By the end of 2009, violent crime in Hennepin County dropped more than 25%).
2. Focus on Partnerships with Other Law Enforcement Agencies and Private Partners:
- Provide leadership for the Hennepin County Violent Crime Initiative (Proactive crime-fighting efforts combining local law enforcement resources with Sheriff’s Office coordination and information sharing, with prosecutor input and guidance).
- Earned $2 million in federal Crime Lab Grants and $18.3 million in federal Communications Grants in three years.
- Partnered with the DEA and West Metro Drug Task Force to complete a two-year investigation dismantling the largest marijuana operation in Minnesota history.
3. Provide Leadership In the Areas of Communications, Crime Lab Services, and Information
- Planning for the development of a new Communications Facility in Plymouth.
- Implemented the new Computer-aided dispatch system in 2007.
- Operate and maintain the 800 Mhz inter-operable radio system (a key factor in the successful
management of 35W Bridge collapse in 2007, and RNC in 2008).
- Earned International Accreditation for the Crime Lab - American Society of Crime Lab Directors /Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB).
- In 2008 we renewed our American Correctional Association National Jail Accreditation with 100 percent compliance for mandatory expected practices.
- As an elected member of the Board of both the National Sheriff’s Association and the Major County Sheriff’s Association, and appointee to the Homeland Security’s Interagency Threat Assessment and Coordination Group, the Sheriff has cultivated opportunities to advance Minnesota’s Public Safety initiatives at the national level.
4. Increase our Presence and Accessibility Throughout the County:
- Provide Watch Commanders (HCSO Lieutenants) to assist local governments with resources during critical incidents.
- Partnered with Minneapolis to patrol Downtown Safezones districts.
- Developed the Ten Most Wanted Show, which airs regularly on local cable channels.
- Updated our Website with jail rosters, foreclosure data and CrimeStoppers tips on-line.
5. Invest in the Men and Women in the Agency by promoting diversity, cultivating leadership, and
maintaining a family-friendly environment:
- Created “Shooting Straight”: an internal website for employee communications.
- Provide training, advancement and succession planning (by creating an array of opportunities for cross-training and new skills development). In the past three years, 7 senior level employees have participated in the FBI Academy, Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), International Association of Chiefs of Police, and Northwestern Licensed Peace Officer Executive Courses.
6. Develop and Maintain Strong Relationships through Community Outreach Efforts and
Partnerships:
- Identified a Community Outreach Liaison, a Sergeant dedicated to building positive relationships with minority communities and youth.
- Established the Community Advisory Board with leaders from diverse neighborhoods and backgrounds.
- Invited MADDADS to provide counseling and education for jail inmates regarding responsible citizenship, and conducted Mental Health Awareness training in the Jail (won the National
Association of Counties Award).
- Youth mentoring through Treehouse, Food for a Day, Kids Don’t Float, Rebound, Explorers, DARE, and the Boys and Girls Club.
- Incorporated the Hennepin County Sheriff Foundation, a non-profit, in 2008.
7. Serve as Good Stewards of the Taxpayers’ Investment:
- The Sheriff’s Office operates a fiscally conservative environment, and has returned unspent funds to the County in each of the past three years: 2007, 2008, and 2009. In 2010 we will manage a 4.5% budget reduction without employee layoffs.
- We received 100% reimbursement for 35W Bridge, RNC and Cedar Rapids Floods.
- Actively recruit and train volunteers who provide16,000 hours at an estimated $19.46 for each hour of service (the approximate equivalent of eight full-time employees).
- Reduced medical costs for jail inmates by providing a full-time medical staff for on-site treatment.
The Sheriff's Office provides comprehensive public safety services across the county. The following are just a few of the services provided by the Sheriff's Office: