Crystal Chief to Brooklyn Center City Council: An Ask for Support

My name is Stephanie Revering and I am the police chief in the City of Crystal and the current President of the Hennepin County Chiefs of Police Association. I am here tonight to discuss with you the mission and purpose of the West Command Mobile Field Force.

The West Command Mobile Field Force is made up of representative officers from all 27 suburban law enforcement agencies in suburban Hennepin County. The mission of this collaborative team is to provide a rapid deployment of highly trained law enforcement personnel to preserve life, ensure public safety, protect property, and maintain quality of life throughout Greater Hennepin County. This team of officers, and all of the agencies they represent, are very committed to working hard to protect lawful first amendment protests and demonstrations, while ensuring those gatherings remain non-violent and safe for those in attendance.

Over the last 4 nights, while working very hard to protect those who were peacefully protesting and the residents of Brooklyn Center, our officers (along with our partners from the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, the Minnesota State Patrol, the Minnesota DNR, and the Minnesota National Guard) were faced with many dangerous and violent situations. Officers had projectiles and industrial-grade fireworks thrown at them, along with being sprayed with mace and bear spray. A number of these officers, all of whom who have come from outside of Brooklyn Center to help your community, have sustained various levels of injury. As Police Chiefs, we can not stand by and allow our officers to be injured by individuals trying to disrupt your community’s right for peaceful protest. In addition, officers have heard numerous comments by individuals in the crowds suggesting a desire by some to vandalize or burn down the Brooklyn Center Police Department and our officers have been working diligently to protect your community asset.

We remain very committed to the city of Brooklyn Center and your residents and will do everything we can to help your community through these difficult times and to begin the long process ahead of healing, but we are only able to do our part with the unequivocal support of the leaders of this city in our mission as highlighted above. This support includes an understanding that officers, under a unified command structure, must be able to use all tools necessary to accomplish the mission listed above. And it must be understood that these tools may include the judicious use less lethal options to accomplish the mission.

The Hennepin County Chiefs of Police Association implores the Brooklyn Center City Council to support the West Command Mobile Field Force, along with the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office and the other law enforcement partners, in the current unrest occurring within your city. It is imperative that this support include policy decisions, as well as in sentiments made to the public and media so the shared goal of encouraging and facilitating peaceful demonstrations by the community to continue. Our collective ability to continue to provide scarce resources depends on this partnership with you.

Thank you for your time.