August 1, 2006 - Hennepin County Sheriff Pat McGowan, a Republican, is endorsing former DFL Party Chair Mike Erlandson for Congress. Erlandson is one of seven DFLers running in Minnesota's Fifth District, which includes Minneapolis and several suburbs. McGowan says he's backing Erlandson because he's the best candidate on public safety issues. He says he's not endorsing Republican Alan Fine because he doesn't think anyone but a Democrat can win in the heavily DFL district. McGowan also criticized Keith Ellison, the DFL endorsed candidate, for not doing enough on public safety during his time in the state Legislature.
August 1, 2006 - Comments from Keith Ellison, the DFL endorsed candidate, regarding Hennepin County Sheriff Pat McGowan’s endorsement of Ellison’s congressional candidate opponent, Mike Erlandson.
August 16, 2006 - North Minneapolis has been getting a lot of attention lately because of a rise in crime. In Saint Paul a group of residents say crime in their neighborhood has been getting worse over the past few years and they want the police to do something about it. Today they're holding a rally on St. Paul's East side to urge the mayor and city council to hire more police officers.
August 16, 2006 - Some residents on St. Paul's East Side say they're fed up with crime. They say random gunfire, prostitution and drug houses are making them unsafe and afraid to leave home. A group of resident activists are holding a rally today to call on the city to hire 200 more cops to patrol the city. Adding 200 officers would cost taxpayers an estimated 14 million dollars a year.St. Paul Police Chief John Harrington says he supports hiring at least 125 police officers. He says the mayor and the city must increase the police force to keep the city from being vulnerable to the problems plaguing Minneapolis.
August 16, 2006 - St. Paul's Chief of Police says his department will target crime hot spots on the city's east side starting next month.
August 16, 2006 - Brief audio clip of Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak on environment that is threat to kids in some neighborhoods.
August 17, 2006 - St. Paul's Chief of Police says his department will target crime hot spots on the city's east side starting next month.
September 6, 2006 - Investigators say preliminary autopsy results show no obvious signs of trauma on the body of a Ramsey County inmate. Frankie Howard of Saint Paul stopped breathing in a restraining device Saturday morning. Authorities say he had been behaving erratically before his death -- flooding his cell by clogging the toilet and trying to cut himself. Ramsey County workhouse spokesman Chris Crutchfield says attempts to subdue Howard with pepper spray weren't working.
September 12, 2006 - MPR’s Brandt Williams reports on interim Police Chief Tim Dolan being Mayor RT Rybak's choice to lead the Minneapolis Police department. Dolan is a Minneapolis native and 23-year veteran of the force. Rybak says Dolan's experience with the city and with the department makes him the best choice to be the city's next top police officer. Report also contains commentary from PCRC and community member.
September 12, 2006 - The Saint Paul City Council is scheduled to vote tomorrow on how much the city can tax property owners next year. Some St. Paul neighborhood groups and some city council members want the city to include money in the budget to hire 40 more police officers next year. A majority of city council members and Mayor Chris Coleman say they support increasing the number of officers. But on the eve of the vote there's little agreement on how many extra cops the city needs.