Hennepin County Sheriff: ‘Lack of Consequences’ Behind Juvenile Crime Uptick
Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt calls juvenile crime “a huge challenge.”
It’s one of the issues Witt discussed during a visit this week with the Plymouth City Council.
Witt said the “lack of consequences” for teen offenders is one reason why the issue remains a challenge.
“I think anybody who is a parent would say, ‘okay if there is not immediate consequences for our kids, what’s the deterrent for them to stop,'” said Witt.
Just this past week, Brooklyn Park police dealt with large gatherings of youth that resulted in shots fired.
Another case on Tuesday, May 28, involved a 15-year-old offender who led Robbinsdale police on a chase in a stolen vehicle. Police say officers backed off from the pursuit before the teen suspect blew through a red light at a Minneapolis intersection and crashed into an SUV, which then struck a third vehicle. None of the occupants in the other vehicles suffered injuries.
“We know we’ve seen vehicles driving toward marked law enforcement cars, trying to antagonize them to chase,” said Witt speaking to the Plymouth City Council on Tuesday. “We just had a chase today, I shouldn’t say we, but it started with Robbinsdale, it ended in Minneapolis. And here we are talking about multiple juveniles again. The immediate consequence has to be a must.”
Witt said the closure of the Hennepin County Home School in Minnetonka is an issue. The facility once housed the area’s most violent youth offenders before closing in 2021.
“We do need a place for once post-adjudication happens for our kids to go,” said Witt.
Opioid Overdoses Skyrocket
Witt also highlighted the alarming rise in opioid overdoses that she attributed to fentanyl.
The sheriff said there’s been a 500 percent increase in opioid overdoses over the last 10 years.
In 2023, Witt said opioids killed one person a day on average. She said that would likely be four or five people killed per day if it weren’t for Narcan, the overdose antidote drug.
“This is nothing short of an epidemic,” said Witt.
The complete Hennepin County sheriff presentation from the May 28 Plymouth City Council meeting can be viewed here.
