BACKGROUND

Both nationally and locally, criminal justice systems continue to experience more contact with individuals who have some form of mental, chemical, or behavioral health concerns. Changes in the justice system are needed to eliminate inequalities and institutional barriers. These types of changes bring efficiencies, cost savings, and reduced civil liability and improved public safety as inmates re-enter the community connected to the resources needed to succeed. Therefore, the “Bold Blueprint for Detention Reform” reflects that:

• 80% of incarcerated persons in America have some form of chemical addiction
• 73% of incarcerated persons have difficulty reading
• An estimated 70% of incarcerated persons have mental health issues
• Nearly 60% of all bookings at the Ramsey County Adult Detention Center are people of color

At present, there are many barriers to rehabilitation at the Ramsey County Adult Detention Center:

• Inmates are subject to regular lockdowns and segregation
• Only minimal services are made available to inmates
• Recent state inspections show several non-compliance issues related to staffing and safety
• An inmate was able to commit suicide last summer while in-custody
• Staffing remains an ongoing concern even after a vote of no confidence by union members
• The transition between the Adult Detention Center and Ramsey County Correctional Facility (Workhouse) is cumbersome when a person transfers custody between facilities
• After release, a person is not always able to access adequate services for mental health, chemical addiction, education, training, employment, or housing

Put simply, the current system is not sustainable for long-term public safety and community goals. Inmates are most successful when they have regular contact with their family members and access to mental health resources (including counseling and medication for depression, anxiety, and withdrawal from addiction). Likewise, educational opportunities and a robust offering of external services, including employment training and housing assistance, help inmates to become productive members of society and reduce the likelihood of further contact with the criminal justice system. This reduces crime, victimization, and the overall costs to taxpayers.

VISION

As Sheriff, I am committed to reforming the detention system based on best practices and the needs of the people served. Individuals must be afforded every opportunity for success upon release and return to the community. To do this, we must redesign a system that will keep the community safe and:

• Eliminate inequalities and institutional barriers. As noted, there are many barriers to rehabilitation at the Ramsey County Adult Detention Center. To resolve this, the Sheriff’s Office will work with government, non-profit, and community organizations and establish a taskforce for detention reform. Within six months upon taking office, the Detention Reform Taskforce—with input from local, state, and national leaders—will start working together to eliminate disparities experienced by people of color and align services to the human needs of inmates.
• Provide mental health, chemical addiction, and social services. While there have been efforts to staff mental health professionals at the Adult Detention Center, additional services are required to achieve equitable outcomes and prevent further contact with the justice system. As such, the Sheriff’s Office will partner with county departments and community providers to start offering a continuum of services that includes treatment of mental, chemical, and/or behavioral health concerns as well as opportunities for education, training, employment, and housing. Annually, the Sheriff’s Office will report on our advancements and outcomes of the mental health, chemical addiction, and social services that will now be provided to inmates.
• Guarantee the safety of inmates, staff, and visitors. The recent death of Correctional Officer Joseph Gomm, in the line of duty, was a solemn reminder of the dangers faced by Correctional Officers across the country. The Sheriff’s Office will start to effectively manage the Adult Detention Center. This means improving working and inmate housing conditions, providing training, and adhering to state rules and regulations. An annual progress report will be posted online and detail key areas where improvements have been made.
• Merge and share resources with the Ramsey County Correctional Facility. Merging and sharing resources and services between the Adult Detention Center and Correctional Facility will create a more seamless transition in care and increase the success of those incarcerated. In the first year, an estimated $100,000 will be saved. Then, annually, this merger would save $500,000 in administrative overhead that can be redirected to mental health and chemical addiction services.
• Establish a Reentry Resource Center. Upon release from the Adult Detention Center or Correctional Facility, the Sheriff’s Office will staff a Reentry Resource Center to ensure offenders continue to have access to services, medication, mental health professionals, and chemical addiction treatment programs in the community. Planning for the Reentry Resource Center will start in January 2019 and the center will be operational by the winter.

BACKGROUND

Unfortunately, the current sheriff’s administration has eliminated the youth crime prevention programs established under my previous time as sheriff. These programs included:

• A literacy and athletics program that served at-risk children residing in public housing neighborhoods. This program provided the 40 key assets of healthy youth as identified by the Search Institute.
• The Curfew and Truancy Centers. These centers served as an intervention to steer kids who were on the wrong path to the services and resources needed to keep them out of the criminal justice system.
• An after-school program with ARTS-Us. The Sheriff’s Office helped staff this program that engaged youth to participate in physical and educational activities that taught self-expression and confidence.
• Neighborhood Resource Centers. On Selby Avenue and Rice Street, neighborhood resource centers were available for those in need. The Sheriff’s Office hosted one center with Save Our Sons (SOS) to provide services and outreach to kids who had been in trouble with the law.
• Summer field trips with at-risk youth. The Sheriff’s Office would actively seek and receive grants and outside funding to take inner city kids on field trips during school breaks when they may otherwise be home alone and unsupervised.

Sheriff’s Office staff also voluntarily coached several athletic teams. Training was provided to staff on a variety of community services available from government agencies, non-profits, and religious institutions so citizens could always get pointed in the right direction for services and help.

An indifference toward the success and future of children can have a lifetime of negative consequences. Public safety is a three-pronged strategy and crime prevention programs are critical in long-term crime reduction efforts. There are also cost savings associated with preventing youth from becoming involved in the criminal justice system. Preventing a youth from engaging in a life of crime reduces harm caused to everyone.

BACKGROUND

Law enforcement agencies today have a variety of technology available. When properly used, technology improves public safety, reinforces transparency, and increases community trust. In fact, the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing states:

Implementing new technologies can give police department an opportunity to fully engage and educate communities in a dialogue about their expectations for transparency, accountability, and privacy.

One example of technology that can accomplish these goals is body-worn cameras, also known simply as “body cameras.” These are cameras worn by police officers that record audio and video of incidents and activities in real time. For over five years now, these cameras have captured incidents ranging from traffic stops to use of force events.

In addition, there are resources available to assist law enforcement agencies with implementing body cameras, including a toolkit published by the United States Department of Justice. Grant funding may also be available to help cover costs.

Given the many benefits and resources available, it is important to note that:

• The recent officer-involved shootings in Saint Paul and Minneapolis reinforce the need for body cameras to be utilized by all police departments and sheriff’s offices.
• The former and current interim sheriff’s administration has not implemented a body camera system nor adopted a policy.
• The Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office is not keeping pace with best practices utilized by other departments, including the Saint Paul and Minneapolis Police Departments. These agencies as well as dozens of departments in the region have already implemented body-worn cameras. Saint Anthony will have body cameras this fall.
• During the most recent budget request in August 2018, the current interim sheriff made no request for funding for body cameras.

Put simply, by now the Sheriff’s Office should have partnered with police departments and implemented a coordinated and integrated body camera system. Should another Philando Castile type incident occur again, there will be no acceptable excuse for why Ramsey County deputies were not wearing body cameras.

BACKGROUND

The POST Board was an important first step in regulating law enforcement and standardizing police training across the state. The traditional path to becoming a police officer includes earning a two-year degree in law enforcement, attending a police academy called ‘SKILLS,’ and passing a state licensing exam before being hired by an agency.

For over 40 years, this approach has been utilized. However, in recent years there has been a recognized need to “think outside the box” of conventional hiring and develop alternative paths to policing. There are many factors driving this change, including allowing for a broader pool of candidates with diverse backgrounds, ethnicities, and skills. A reflective workforce looks like and understands the community.

We must provide opportunities for members of our community to become police officers who could not afford to attend college for law enforcement or who sought other opportunities earlier in their lives. Programs such as “Pathways to Policing” are a good start and must be expanded to allow departments to hire exceptional people who may not have current law enforcement training. Departments can provide law enforcement training to non-traditional candidates.

This is important because the members of the Sheriff’s Office are the most valuable resource available to serve the community. In a timely and thorough manner, the Sheriff’s Office must hire, train, and retain the best employees. Once hired, employees must receive quality training and be developed to assume formal leadership roles. In part, this requires deliberate recruiting efforts with underrepresented communities, training in procedural justice, and individualized planning.

In 1976—one year before today’s standards were put in place—the Saint Paul Civic Center was filled with 1,891 applicants taking the test to become a police office. This year 178 eligible persons applied. In the above picture, there are two future law enforcement and community leaders—Saint Paul Police Chief John Harrington and Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher. Neither of these two would be able to take the test with today’s limitations.

VISION

As Sheriff, I am committed to opening doors for quality “career change” candidates with real life experience and a variety of different educational disciplines to serve our community. To do this, we will increase diversity each year and:

• Broaden the pool of applicants. The Sheriff’s Office will seek out non-traditional officers of diverse backgrounds and ethnicities, and provide the necessary training to be officers. High professional and ethical standards will ensure the best are selected to serve.
• Provide ongoing outreach and training. The Sheriff’s Office is dedicated to achieving a workforce that reflects the community and engages in staff development so that tomorrow’s leaders have the opportunity to come up through the ranks.

BACKGROUND

Women in police leadership roles bring valuable experience that strengthens organizations and fosters the development of the next generation of leaders. Likewise, a workforce that reflects diversity throughout its ranks increases community trust and facilitates the alignment of services with community expectations.

As Sheriff, Bob appointed the first African American undersheriff, led outreach efforts with the Southeast Asian community, and was an early adopter of hiring for diversity. For nearly 16 years, the Sheriff’s Office led in diverse hiring. For three decades, Bob has also partnered with communities of color and collaboratively problem-solved complex issues.

Today, however, at the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, there are no women serving on the interim sheriff’s senior leadership team. The chief deputy and all five undersheriffs are men. Moreover, racial and gender equity did not become a priority until it was an election year.

Law enforcement has historically been viewed as a “male profession.” Research notes the benefits of hiring woman in law enforcement. Women can:

• Create a healthier police culture that is more reflective of communities served
• Enhance responses to crime victims, including domestic violence and sexual violence
• Improve community policing and relationships
• More easily recognize crime victims, including those who have made repeated calls to police
• Increase the reporting of crimes by connecting with victims
• Improve workplace conduct and decrease harassment of women officers when in leadership positions

Statistically, women tend not to use excessive force. Women are also less likely to view aggressive tactics as necessary when responding to certain situations. In turn, this can help reduce complaints and litigation. Many of these same benefits are also true for hiring for racial diversity. That is why executive police role models who represent the community—both in terms of gender and race—are essential. Leaders do not tolerate any form of discrimination or bias. Experienced leaders make diversity a priority the first day on the job.

BACKGROUND

For the last eight years, the opioid crisis has ravaged Ramsey County. While this was once a developing issue, it has since become all too common, leaving a wake of destruction in our community.

In 2017, there were 72 opioid overdose deaths reported in Ramsey County, a 16% increase over 2016. The nation’s drug suppression strategy has also caused racial disparities in incarceration. Confining a person stops a single crime, but does not address the underlying issues leading to crime. Addiction rips apart families and leads to a lifetime of negative consequences, even after rehabilitation. Despite all this, the current interim sheriff did nothing to address the opioid crisis in Ramsey County until it was an election year.

The Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office has a social responsibility to help people who are suffering from addiction. When issues linked to criminal behavior and drug abuse can be treated, the revolving door of the justice system can be closed, allowing people suffering from addiction and their families to be healed. Collectively, this improves community safety and reduces the ill effects of prolonged drug abuse (e.g., incarceration, courts, health, medical, victimization, etc.).

The Sheriff’s Office can no longer overlook drug and opioid addiction. Integrated drug treatment programs and drug courts are designed to rehabilitate people, offering both accountability and treatment. With these types of services and law enforcement support addressing the opioid crisis and drug abuse can be reality.

BACKGROUND

Public safety is a critical and necessary investment for every community. That’s why professional management and leadership of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office is imperative. Everyone—including citizens, employees, and community groups—must have trust and confidence in the Sheriff’s Office.

In 2019, the Sheriff’s Office budget will total $58.6 million. Compared to just four years ago, this represents an increase of nearly 14% or $7.2 million. There are also 435 full-time employees represented by seven labor unions who serve our community. Leading an organization this large and complex requires an experienced professional who has community ties.

It is important to pause and recognize the current interim sheriff was appointed in a process that lacked transparency and community input. Unlike other appointments for police chiefs, this was not an open process and there was no search for the best candidate. Qualified candidates—including women and people of color—were ignored.

Since being appointed, there have been numerous administrative errors, troubled labor relations, and a placement of politics above public safety. Some of the most serious examples include:

• Union workers advancing a vote of no confidence for unsafe working conditions in the Adult Detention Center (jail)
• Labor contracts not approved on time, forcing employees to work without a current contract
• Requesting an additional $2.5 million from county taxpayers to make up for a failure to provide adequate staffing
• Spending nearly $200,000 to remodel administrative offices while ignoring the need to invest in life-saving equipment
• Missing financial deadlines and improper accounting totaling nearly $400,000
• Cited as Out of Compliance from the state following the death of an inmate in jail
• Subjected to a state investigation after more than 100 inmates had food poisoning in jail
• Creating administrative jobs not recommended by a $100,000 independent staffing study
• Using county resources for campaign purposes in violation of law and policy

Despite these issues, the interim sheriff still requested salary increases for himself. Between January and December 2017, the interim sheriff increased his salary 15.5%—that’s $21,317—to total $159,822. Neither the sheriff nor chief deputy have any experience working in or supervising a jail operation. Combined, they have less than nine years of experience working at a sheriff’s office.