Lawsuits Filed Against MPD By Officers
January 27 WCCO 4 News At 10
Five supervising police officers in December 2007 filed a lawsuit against the City of Minneapolis and Police Chief Tim Dolan over what they claim is discrimination against African-American officers. In January, Sgt. Charlie Adams and the union also filed a lawsuit against the MPD. To read the lawsuits, click on the links below.
Lawsuit Complaint Against MPD By 5 Black Officers
Lawsuit Complaint Against MPD By Charlie Adams'
Lakeville Police Cable Access Show
January 22 WCCO 4 News At 10
Lakeville
, Minn.
Police put their first
cable access police show on the air 24 years ago this month. Other police
agencies also hosted similar shows. Some have dropped them because of budget
cuts. Lakeville's chief was a rookie cop when he hosted the suburb's first show
back in 1984. Chief Tom Vonhof is still a strong supporter of the show which is
now a much more polished production and is also streamed on the Web.
Lakeville Police Department
Video: Lakeville Officer Rick Bussler's Nov. 2007 Report On Caroline
Move Over Law
January 5 WCCO 4 News At 6
A Wisconsin deputy was hit by a car while directing traffic in Chippewa County, which served as a reminder to Minnesotans about the "move over" law. To learn more about the law, watch Caroline Lowe's report below.
Trooper Accidents Up, Police Warn Move Over
Officer-Involved Shootings
December 31 WCCO 4 News
A number of officer-involved shootings have made headlines recently. WCCO-TV crime reporter Caroline Lowe has gone through police training, where she learned about the conditions in which an officer chooses to use firepower. To read more, follow the link below.
WCCO-TV Crime Reporter Goes Through Cop Training
Donald Blom Appeal Fails
December 27, 2007
Convicted killer Donald Blom was denied his third appeal in the 1999 of kidnapping and killing Katie Poirier, a 19-year-old convience store clerk. WCCO Crime Reporter Caroline Lowe followed this story from the day it broke. To watch on of those stories and a interview with Blom, click on the link below.
I-TEAM: Is Donald Blom A Serial Killer?
E-Mails On I-35W Training Video
December 21, 2007
A
power struggle over who did what during the first response to the I-35W
bridge collapse. We've obtained e-mails which show city leaders lashing
out at the Hennepin County Sheriff. Click here to see the e-mails. Click here to see an interview with Don Shelby, who narrated the training video.
Calling On A Warrant In Hennepin County
December 13 WCCO 4 News At 10
Last year, 40,000 warrants were on file in the state's largest county. They range from murder to charges against folks who didn't pay traffic tickets or show up for a court appearance. To check if you have an outstanding warrant in Hennepin County call 612-348-2000.
Warrant Unit Annual Report Executive Summary 2006
November 26 WCCO 4 News At 10
The Hennepin County Warrant Unit is responsible for administrating and executing the service of warrants, commitments and other court orders issued by Hennepin County for persons who are wanted by law enforcement agencies nationwide, and returning persons to Hennepin County from other law enforcement agencies in the nation who are wanted here.
The 20-employee Warrant Unit clerical staff provides coverage 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The 20 deputies, 3 sergeants, and 1 lieutenant provide warrant service from 0700 hours to 2230 hours, Monday through Friday.
The Warrant Unit works with a $3,226,626.00 budget. The actual amount of expenditures or encumbered funds was $3,108,940.46 in 2006. The Warrant Unit was able to come in under budget by a savings of $117,685.54. This savings was used for cost issues in the Adult Detention Center.
In 2006 the Warrant Unit received 9,730 felonies, 4,933 gross misdemeanors and 25,585 misdemeanors for a total of 40,250 warrants received. During 2006 the Warrant Unit made 11,032 service attempts and was in all the communities within Hennepin County except Medicine Lake, Greenwood and Woodland; this is an increase of 15 percent over the 2005 total.
The Warrant Unit is not a patrol unit nor is its main function that of traffic enforcement, although it can support patrol functions when necessary in areas such as dignitary protection. What the Warrant Unit provides is more in line with an investigative unit with its focus on apprehension for Hennepin County warrants, wanted subjects with active warrants in the state of Minnesota and other areas throughout the United States.
The Warrant Unit continued to participate in the Minnesota Fugitive Task Force (MFTF) by supplying one deputy from the Warrant Unit staff to work full-time on task force cases. The Task Force arrested a total of 125 individuals for various violent crimes such as homicide, aggravated assault, and criminal sexual conduct. Along with these arrests, the Task Force has participated in details as a cooperative effort with task forces involved in terrorism, bank robbery, and Internet issues.
In 2006 the Safe Zone detail began as a cooperative effort between the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office, the Minneapolis Police Department, the Metropolitan Transit Police Department and security officers employed by downtown Minneapolis businesses. The most visible activity of the collaborative was its provision of additional foot patrol officers and deputies to a specific high traffic area of downtown Minneapolis. This program had arrests or citations in lieu of arrest in making the downtown area safer. In this program, Sgt. Darrell Huggett was the dedicated supervisor and HCSO point person for the detail.
Criminal Complaint: Everado Cruz-Ramirez
Body Brokering
November 25 WCCO Sunday Morning
Human remains are a
critical part of medical research. Students at the University of Minnesota
Medical School work on them every day. In many ways cadavers are the first "patients"
students will ever deal with. They also help in the search for cures for
diseases, but there is also a dark side to using body parts: it's called "body
brokering." This refers to the practice of obtaining and selling
body parts for a profit.
It is a largely
unregulated industry and now the Minnesota
medical community is taking the lead to get laws in place to regulate and
restrict how bodies are obtained, used and disposed of when no longer used. Typically,
they are used for training seminars hosted by medical products businesses to
demonstrate products to health care professionals.
You can contact the Anatomy Bequest
Program at the University of Minnesota Medical School at 612-625-1111.
Anatomy Bequest Program University of Minnesota Medical School
Letter To Lynn Moore
Letter To Angela McArthur
Mayo Clinic Body Bequest Program
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Caroline Lowe also blogs about crime and offers tips to protect you and your family. Read her blog.
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