Hennepin County uses community prosecution to fight crime
September 25, 2003 - MPR’s Cathy Wurzer interviews Susan Crumb, a community prosecutor in Brooklyn Park.
The Hennepin County Attorney's Office hosting a two-day national meeting on Thursday-Friday, September 25-26, with focus on "community prosecution." In 1999, Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar initiated this new approach to crime-fighting. This approach is based on a closer working relationship between prosecutors and the local neighborhoods and communities where crime is occurring. Prosecutors are assigned to work with police, local residents, businesses and others in a specific geographic area to develop strategies for preventing and prosecuting crime, as well as to identify appropriate consequences for those who break the law.