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Sheriff provides decisive testimony on extending sentences for predatory offenders
TESTIMONY
My name is Rich Stanek, Sheriff of Hennepin County. Thank you for bringing this bill forward – it is important to have a discussion on the merits of it. This is about increasing the penalties for criminal sexual conduct – these are the worst of the worst sex offenders. You need to make the policy decision and weigh the cost & benefit of making these changes- and what exactly these changes should be.
I am here to tell you just a little bit about the public safety side of it. These criminals are the people that moms and dads want to make sure are locked up – for a long, long time. These criminals are the ones we hear about from members of the community. They are afraid. Increase the time these criminals spend behind bars –- is a good thing. This bill starts to get at that.
Three bad things happen when the worst sex offenders do not get the longest possible prison sentences.
* First, they get back on the streets and they force us to shake our heads when we read about repeat offenders.
* Second, they come to live in Hennepin County and a few other places around the state.
* Third, because they have such short sentences, they rapidly move beyond the regular supervision of a parole officer.
I have here a document with the pictures and criminal histories of 106 Level III sex offenders who have been released from prison and are on the streets of Hennepin County. Over 80 of them are repeat offenders. Over 60 of them have either finished their prison sentences or completed their supervised release periods and are no longer under a supervising agent.
One of them, Douglas James Felix, who liked to attack teenage girls between the ages of 11 and 15, lives just a few blocks from my home in Maple Grove in the 9300 block of Ranchview Lane North. This is a matter that is both professional and personal for me.
Many of these quick-release Level III sex offenders have histories of attacks on children aged five or under.
* Michael Banks attacked both boys and girls aged 4-14. His address should be in a State Correctional Facility, not in the 500 block of Penn Avenue North in Minneapolis.
* Irvin Bordeaux molested both boys and girls aged 13-14. His sentence was so short that he is no longer on supervised release in the 2000 block of Glenwood Avenue in Minneapolis.
* Michael Dawson was released after sexually attacking an adult woman, and then got out after a short sentence for criminal sexual conduct against an 8-year-old girl. Parole officers can no longer check on him regularly at any address, both because his supervised release period is over and because he says he is homeless when he registers twice a year.
* Then there is the case of Christopher Robert Politano, a Level III sex offender who moved from Hibbing to Hanover in Hennepin County in 2006. From 2006 to 2010, Hennepin County detectives submitted multiple cases against Politano for Failure to Register as a Predatory Offender. He was charged in 2009 and 2010 for these crimes. In 2007, Politano was charged and eventually acquitted of criminal sexual conduct with a woman who was mentally impaired or helpless in Wright County. In 2009, Politano was arrested in Anoka County for first-degree drug sales. Finally, last August, Politano was convicted of drug possession and receive a three-year sentence. He is back in jail- and from a public safety standpoint- we know he can’t reoffend while he is in jail.
These are the criminals that keep moms & dads up at night. They worry about the convicted offender who has served his sentence and is out on the streets. Or in my case- living just down the street. They worry about their child being the next victim.
So- Thank you for bringing this discussion forward. I hope I was able to shed some light from the public safety side just a little bit.
The Sheriff testifies on doubling the presumed sentence for heinous sex offenses to 25 years at 10:15 on webcast.http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/htv/schedule.asp
Sheriff is calling for better security screening.
Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek is calling for better security screening at suburban branch courthouses, days after a judge said he feared for his safety at the Brookdale Service Center in Brooklyn Center.
“I know some of the county commissioners say those courthouses only hear misdemeanors, but these misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor cases are domestics and family court issues,” Stanek remarked.
“Those types of cases have one of the greatest propensities for violence,” he said, “Tempers flare anytime you talk about family issues, divorce and domestic assault.”
The four courtrooms in downtown Minneapolis, including a first appearance court located inside the Hennepin County Jail, have full screening including metal detectors and officers with metal detecting wands.
The branch courthouses at Brookdale, Southdale and Ridgedale have armed officers inside the courtrooms, but no visible screening machines.
“I don’t want there to be another incident like there was in 2003, where a woman shot and killed someone here in the Hennepin County government center,” Stanek explained. “I don’t want what just happened several weeks ago up in Cook County.”
Final approval received for a new Sheriff’s Office 911 Emergency Communications Center
The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office recently received the final approval needed to begin construction on a new Sheriff’s Office 911 Emergency Communications Facility. The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners voted to approve the schematic design.
“When you call 911, our dispatching system must send emergency services without delay,” said Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek, “This is a critical service and we must have the needed infrastructure in order to provide this service in a way that is always reliable and uninterrupted.”
The new Sheriff’s Office 911 Emergency Communications Facility will be located in Plymouth on county-owned land adjacent to the Hennepin County Adult Correctional Facility. Ground breaking will take place later next year — with occupancy expected in 2014.
“This is an important project for our own police and fire departments that rely on consistent emergency communications service from the Sheriff’s Office each and every day,” said Plymouth Mayor Kelli Slavik, in reference to a council resolution passed on April 12, 2011.
At its current 911 facility in Golden Valley, the Sheriff’s Office operates one of the largest consolidated public safety answering points in the Upper Midwest. Sheriff’s Office personnel dispatch for 19 fire departments and 23 police agencies in 36 communities.
There is an urgent need to replace the Golden Valley facility because the building cannot support the infrastructure and technology requirements of providing uninterrupted public safety communications in the future. The Sheriff’s Office facility in Golden Valley is 64-years-old.
Consideration and planning for the new facility has been taking place over the past seven years and the project has received widespread support. State legislators have recognized that this is a regional project with statewide significance. As a result, legislators agreed to contribute $4.7 million in state bonding. Resolutions of support were adopted by thirty-four city councils, in cities that receive Sheriff’s Office dispatch services, including Plymouth.
Hennepin County Sheriff participates in a homeland security conference at the White House
At the White House in Washington D.C., Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek is participated in a homeland security conference with counterterrorism experts and with law enforcement from across the country – including other law enforcement leaders from Minnesota.
The homeland security discussions at the White House are focusing on countering violent extremism
. “We are addressing domestic and international terrorism and it is critical that we remain vigilant in our prevention efforts,” said Sheriff Stanek, “Our discussions are an opportunity to describe the resources and partnerships that local law enforcement agencies need when preparing for an effective response to a variety of public safety emergencies – including threats and acts of terrorism.”
The meeting is titled, “State, Local, and Tribal Enforcement: Full Day Conference on Empowering Local Partners to Counter Violent Extremism in the United States.” The purpose is to inform the Administration and interagency partners on best practices, case studies, and strategies to counter violent extremism in the U.S.
The discussions included an examination of recent cases in the Twin Cities in which several Somali-Americans left their homes in Minnesota and traveled to Somalia to join Al-Shabaab, an al Qaeda-affiliated terror organization. Sheriff Stanek described the tremendous effort law enforcement leaders and the community have made to partner with the Somali community in the Twin Cities, in an effort to prevent other individuals from becoming radicalized.
There were discussions with Department of Homeland Security Director Napolitano and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.
Sheriff Stanek is attending as a representative from local law enforcement and also as a representative of a national organization, the Major County Sheriffs’ Association (MCSA). At the start of 2012, Sheriff Stanek began his term as president of MCSA.
MCSA is a professional law enforcement association of elected sheriffs representing large metro areas. The group advances legislative issues concerning public safety issues and it promotes a greater understanding of law enforcement strategies. MCSA is holding its annual meeting in Washington D.C. this week.
Sheriff Stanek has prior experience working on counterterrorism issues. He serves on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Interagency Threat Assessment and Coordination Group (ITACG) which allows for the sharing of terrorism-related information. He is a member of the national Criminal Intelligence Coordinating Council (CICC), advising the U.S. Attorney General and U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He serves on the board of directors of the National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA) and serves as co-chair of the NSA Homeland Security Committee.
Hennepin County Sheriff Appointed to Homeland Security Committee
September 8, 2011 (Minneapolis) – The president of the National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA) has appointed Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek to serve as co-chair of the NSA Homeland Security Committee. Sheriff Stanek currently serves on the Board of Directors of the NSA.
“I am honored to have been selected as co-chair of the Homeland Security Committee which addresses domestic and international terrorism,” said Sheriff Stanek, “It’s critical that we remain vigilant in our prevention efforts and that we recognize resources needed to respond to all hazards and public safety emergencies.”
Sheriff James Kralik of Rockland County, New York was appointed as a co-chair of the NSA Homeland Security Committee to serve with Sheriff Stanek. NSA is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising the level of professionalism among those in the criminal justice field. It is headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia.
Sheriff Stanek has prior experience working on counterterrorism issues. He serves on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Interagency Threat Assessment and Coordination Group (ITACG) which, through a Presidential directive, allows for the sharing of terrorism-related information. He is a member of the national Criminal Intelligence Coordinating Council (CICC), advising the U.S. Attorney General and U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He has attended an international FBI training program, Leadership in Counterterrorism (LinCT).
The Wanted Five with DWIs
MINNEAPOLIS — Hennepin County is on the lookout for convicted drunk drivers under a new program. “The Wanted Five with DWIs” was announced Tuesday. It’s a new online listing of five people who have been convicted of at least one DWI and are now wanted on active warrants. The individuals are urged to turn themselves in to the Sheriff’s Office to clear their warrant. The program aims at reducing drunk driving offenses.
Too many innocent people have been killed or injured by drunk drivers on our roadways,” said Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek, “We will keep coming up with new, innovative ways to address this serious threat until it ends because we owe that to every victim, every family who has lost a loved one.”
The public may view photos of “The Wanted Five with DWIs” on the Sheriff’s Office website. Once the warrant has been satisfied, a new DWI offender description will be added.
Story from here: http://www.kare11.com/news/article/928548/396/New-wanted-list-for-DWIs-in-Hennepin-Co
Familial DNA:
Background: When a crime lab submits a crime scene DNA sample to the national database (the Combined DNA Index System or “CODIS”), an identical match is sought with a known person who is already in CODIS. This tool can be expanded to include not only identical matches, but also a “close match” between the evidence sample and a known person. Read more…
Potent and Popular, Heroin Booms in Minnesota
Article by: Paul Levy, Star Tribune.
Cases are showing up more frequently that ever here, — in hospitals, treatment centers, jails and morgues. Heroin abuse is rising in Minnesota and the drug is presenting health and law enforcement officials with a three part problem: It’s expensive, easily available and deadlier than ever.
“It’s getting worse,” said Sheriff Stanek. Go back 25 or 30 years and the only way to take heroin was to inject it. Now, kids smoke it, cut it mix it. They’ve come up with new ways to OD.”