Hennepin Police Chiefs respond to Moriarty’s ‘overreach’

Friday morning in Minneapolis City Hall, police chiefs from across the county joined Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt to condemn the announcement from Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty that her office will no longer charge felony cases such as firearms, drugs, and stolen property possession that arise out of low-level traffic stops and searches conducted upon consent.

The group of law enforcement executives conducted a press conference and stood in unity as members of the Hennepin County Chiefs of Police Association (HCCPA), a professional organization representing 45 communities and serving over 1.3 million Hennepin County residents.

Minnetonka Chief Scott Boerboom, who serves as the current President of the HCCPA, said of Moriarty’s policy:

“This harmful policy will make it harder for us to do our job, paints all departments under one broad brushstroke, and completely ignores the role and voice of law enforcement in helping keep our communities safe. The residents of Hennepin County deserve better.”

Chief Boerboom confirmed that Moriarty not only didn’t consult with the Hennepin Chiefs, but she also misled them as recently as two weeks ago, by suggesting she had no imminent plans to move forward with such a policy change. The move represents a complete lack of candor with the primary stakeholder group affected by the policy, and it is yet another example of Moriarty failing to follow through with promises of transparency and collaboration.

Sheriff Witt offered the following statement regarding Moriarty’s policy:

“With the amount of violence our communities have endured over the last few months, now is not the time to lower standards for public safety. The HCAO already has charging discretion, and this new policy is an overreach. Our deputies will continue to operate within the law, making lawful stops and lawful arrests, seizing illegally possessed guns, drugs, and any other illegal matter that will cause harm to Hennepin County. We will continue to prioritize the safety of those we took an oath to protect and serve.”

When asked about the racial disparities in traffic stops argument used by Moriarty to support her policy decision, Sheriff Witt articulated that any such activity is best handled by addressing specific incidents, not by applying a blanket approach that curtails proactive policing across all Hennepin County law enforcement. She also pointed out that the data Moriarty referenced in her announcement was stale and didn’t take into account the level of violence that law enforcement is encountering in 2025. To emphasize the point, the Sheriff held up a recent Star Tribune front page with the bold headline, “Twelve shot in Twelve Hours.” Finally, in response to suggestions by Moriarty that traffic stops are ineffective in addressing violent crime, and cause more harm than good, Sheriff Witt provided data from the Sheriff’s Office indicating deputies had seized 377 illegally possessed firearms so far in 2025 — 47% of them seized as the result of traffic stops.

It cannot be emphasized enough — law enforcement needs more encouragement and support to conduct professional, proactive policing in Hennepin County, not less. Moriarty’s policy improperly impacts a lawful and legitimate police strategy — a strategy that leads to seizures of contraband and, more importantly, creates a level of deterrence for the criminal element.

Former Minneapolis Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton understood the impact that deterrence could have when, in 1995, she helped push through a “zero tolerance” policy to combat violence in Minneapolis. A cornerstone of the effort? Aggressive traffic stops — in neighborhoods of color, no less. The mayor offered the following statement to describe the effort in a Newsweek article at the time. It makes one wonder, when did we lose our common sense?

“We’re going to stop people for minor traffic violations, and we’re going to check them for illegal guns.”

While measuring deterrence might be difficult for academics, it is something those on the street are keenly aware of — both when it’s there and when it is missing. Unfortunately, deterrence is missing in far too many areas in Hennepin County today, and law-abiding citizens are paying the price. Moriarty’s policy will only make that situation worse.