Mission

"Serving and protecting all in our community by furthering equal justice, safety and wellness."

Values

Ethics * Equality * Collaboration * Well-Being * Innovation

Chief Deputy Tracey Martin

Chief Deputy Tracey Martin leads the agency’s day-to-day operations and supervises the majors who oversee each bureau. As second-in-command, Chief Deputy Martin works with the sheriff to develop public safety priorities, implement standards, and develop policies and procedures. She has also worked in administrative services, background unit, internal affairs and professional standards. She has served in the Sheriff’s Office since 1996.

Major Jeff Storms

Major Jeffrey Storms commands the Public Safety Services Bureau, which consists of the Enforcement Services Division (Patrol, Water Patrol, K-9, Civil, Warrant, and Special Operations Services), as well as the Emergency Communications/911 Center and Technology Division. Major Storms started his career at the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office in 1992 as a Detention Deputy. Major Storms, over his career, has also overseen the Professional Services, Detention and Court Services Bureaus for the Sheriff’s Office. He earned his Bachelor of Science Degree from Minnesota State University- Mankato and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy. 

Major Patrick King

Major Patrick King commands the Investigations Bureau; overseeing the Investigative Division, Criminal Intelligence Division and Forensic Science Laboratory. Major King joined the Investigations Bureau after 25 years with the Minneapolis Police Department. He has served in the Sheriff’s Office since 2014.

Major Dawanna Witt

Major Dawanna Witt commands the detention and court services bureau. She joined the bureau in 2019 after 15 years with the Dakota County Sheriff’s Office, where she held many positions, her last being Captain of Administration. She began her career in law enforcement as a detention deputy for the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office.

Major Dan Kurtz

Major Dan Kurtz commands the Administrative Services Bureau, overseeing employee hiring, training, and policy. He began his career at the Santa Monica Police Department and spent 12 years as an attorney in public and private practice. He joined the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office in 2019.

Rob Allen

Rob Allen serves as chief of staff. He manages the elected sheriff’s administrative staff and works to develop policy. He previously worked in leadership roles in the Minneapolis Police Department and Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office. He has served in the Sheriff’s Office since 2019.

Tim Stout

Tim Stout serves as senior administrative manager. He manages special projects and serves as stakeholder liaison. He worked in homeland security at the White House and U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He has served in the Sheriff’s Office since 2012.

Adult detention center

The sheriff’s office operates the adult detention center (jail) in downtown Minneapolis, the largest and busiest pre-trial adult detention facility in Minnesota. At any given time, the jail houses up to about 800 inmates, and each year, the sheriff's office books about 40,000 inmates.

The jail has consistently earned accreditation by the American Correctional Association, for maintaining the highest standards of inmate custody and care. The Minnesota Department of Corrections also conducts periodic reviews of the jail and consistently finds the facility in full compliance with all mandatory rules, standards, and operating guidelines. 

Court services

Court services provides law enforcement in more than a dozen courthouses with almost 100 courtrooms, in Hennepin County. Services include escorting about 13,000 defendants to court and about 1,400 patients to mental health court.

Court services deputies maintain order and safety in the courtrooms, conducting patrols and security checks, and assisting with weapons screening. They provide security for judges, juries, court personnel, witnesses and all citizens.

Court services deputies also arrest people who violate court orders or who have an active warrant.

Warrants

The sheriff's office administers and executes arrest warrants, commitments, and other court orders for persons wanted in Hennepin County and outside the county. The office handles about 3,000 new warrants each month and resolves about the same number. Sheriff staff also extradite wanted individuals back to Hennepin County who are captured in other counties or states.

Patrol

Sheriff’s patrol provides emergency response throughout the county. Patrol deputies also provides primary law enforcement to Greenfield, Hanover Medicine Lake, Rockford, Hennepin County Home School, county jail, Fort Snelling, 133rd Minnesota Air National Guard, 934th U.S. Air Force Air Wing, and U.S. Marine Corp/Naval Reserves.

Water patrol

Water patrol responds to and investigates water-related incidents for the over 100 lakes and three major rivers in the county. Responsibilities include responding to near-drownings, drownings, boating accidents, and making arrests for boating while intoxicated. Water patrol conducts ice rescue, swift water rescue and airborne rescue.

For emergencies, call 911.

Transport

Transport staff bring inmates to hearings, convicted inmates to correctional facilities, and mental health patients to court hearings or treatment facilities. Each year, sheriff staff transport more than 12,000 inmates and mental health patients.

K9

Deputies and their K9 partners track missing persons, apprehend suspects, complete building searches, search for evidence, detect narcotics and sweep for explosives. Each year, the K9 unit deploys hundreds of times.

911 dispatch

The sheriff’s office operates the emergency communications center in Plymouth, taking calls for emergencies including fires, accidents, crime, and health crises. One of the largest consolidated dispatch centers in the upper Midwest, the center handles over 600,000 calls each year, including about 250,000 911 calls. Dispatchers take calls for over 50 law enforcement agencies, fire departments and emergency medical service providers, serving about 400,000 residents.

The communications center also houses a radio system to enable law enforcement agencies to directly communicate with each other. Sheriff’s staff trains local police and fire departments how to use the radio system.

For all emergencies, call 911.

For non-emergencies, call 952-258-5321. 

Civil process

Deputies handle over 30 types of civil process, including writs of execution, subpoenas, summons, domestic abuse orders for protection, and foreclosure sales. They manage 120 civil process requests per day.

Special operations

Special operations coordinates preparedness for events involving multiple law enforcement agencies such as active shooter incidents, emergencies and threats. The unit also conducts multi-agency trainings to prepare for these events.

Emergency management

Emergency management provides the sheriff's office and other local law enforcement with personnel and equipment at events such as natural disasters, law enforcement incidents, and large community events.

Weapons of mass destruction tactical response

The sheriff’s office is the lead agency for this countywide team. This team is trained and equipped to respond to incidents involving weapons of mass destruction or hazardous materials.

Emergency services

Emergency services responds to events including hostage rescue, barricaded suspects, and high-risk arrest warrants, with the goal of achieving peaceful resolutions to dangerous situations.

Special response

Special response supports law enforcement operations at special events, demonstrations, and community celebrations where there’s potential civil unrest or criminal activity.

Critical infrastructure protection

Deputies are assigned to provide high visibility patrols of critical infrastructure.

Forensic Science Laboratory

The Forensic Science Laboratory provides forensic services to more than 35 law enforcement agencies, the Minnesota State Patrol, and a number of state and federal law enforcement agencies. Staff work in areas including biology, crime scene, evidence, firearm, and fingerprints. The Forensic Science Laboratory has international program accreditation as a testing lab from the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board.

Investigations

This investigations division includes the violent offender task force, narcotics task forces, detective unit, and criminal information sharing and analysis. Work includes focused investigations on the most violent offenders, hundreds of investigations into criminal activity, collaborative work with other agencies for narcotics investigations, and providing timely analysis of criminal information to area law enforcement agencies. Sheriff’s investigators collaborate with police departments, the county attorney’s office, county corrections officials and other metro sheriff’s departments.

Employee development unit

The employee development unit coordinates training for all sheriff’s office personnel. Among its responsibilities, the unit conducts orientation sessions for new employees, coordinates emergency vehicle operation training, and publishes e-learning courses. The unit also provides specialized training opportunities to other local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. For example, citizens who volunteer as reserve officers at police departments throughout the county receive their training at the sheriff's office. Typically each year the sheriff’s office provides about 4,000 hours of training to about 100 law enforcement volunteers.

Read about the unit's pilot program for body cameras.

Personnel unit

The primary mission of the personnel unit is to recruit, select, manage and retain sheriff’s employees. The unit maintains the office policy manual to ensure compliance with state statute and office rules, and unit personnel research emerging trends and look for innovative ways to improve services provided by the sheriff's office. The sheriff's office has several initiatives to recruit diverse employees so personnel more closely represent the community. One example is the law enforcement and diversity program. Participants are known as "cadets" and work at the sheriff's office while pursuing their law enforcement education requirements. The sheriff’s office has fourteen employees who successfully completed the program.

Internal affairs

The internal affairs unit thoroughly investigates all allegations of employee misconduct or criticism of its services. The internal affairs unit was established to provide citizens with a fair and effective avenue to voice their legitimate grievances against the actions of the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office. It is the responsibility of the internal affairs unit to ensure that the integrity of the sheriff's office is maintained.