Hennepin County Attorney calls out Minneapolis PD for lack of collaboration

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty criticized the Minneapolis Police Department for not playing ball on Wednesday, as she lauded the success of her auto theft diversion program.

Moriarty shared the results of the program with Minneapolis City Council members during a presentation. During her presentation, Moriarty blamed the Minneapolis Police Department for not working with her office. The Minneapolis police chief, who was in the audience, was not asked to respond.

Speaking with media members after the meeting, however, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara responded to the criticism with strong words: "Any implication that the Minneapolis cops are not doing everything they can to try and solve that problem, not partnering with people to try and address it, is just not true, and it’s a slap in the face to the cops that are out there every single day putting their lives on the line to try to resolve this problem."

Visibly shaken, Chief O'Hara spoke after Moriarty started blaming MPD for a lack of communication and collaboration, even though she had repeatedly stated she wouldn't point fingers or lay blame.

"I am a big believer of collaboration," said Moriarty. "I've been in this system for over 30 years in Hennepin County. And one of the things I saw that was really destructive is finger pointing and blaming."

"But we need to communicate with each other," Moriarty added. "And that has been a problem right now. I would like to see that communication between MPD and our office improve."

MPD chief Brian OHara and Mary Moriarty (FOX 9)

"It's really about collaboration," Moriarty continued. "I think to the extent that you can encourage MPD to collaborate and communicate with us, we are all going to be better off."

As for the auto theft diversion program, Moriarty described it as a huge success, noting that in 2023, 82 juveniles were referred to her program, with 72 having no new charges and nine reentering the system. It's not clear when they were referred in the timeframe but the Hennepin County Sheriff says something doesn't add up.

"I know from our referrals, we have seen people come back multiple times," explained Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt. "Some for crimes such as carjacking, auto thefts, and assaults."

While everyone was celebrating the juveniles who are now on the right path, violent crime remains a major concern for police and the community.

"I am all for diverting juveniles when appropriate, but that is not the problem we're dealing with right now. We need to do everything we can to get these violent juveniles arrested, charged, and off the street," the Sheriff emphasized.

The sheriff also mentioned the lack of feedback from the Hennepin County Attorney's office on the outcomes of juveniles referred to the program, underscoring the frustration felt by law enforcement.