From: Elder, John A. <<email obscured>>
Date: Tue, Feb 2, 2021 at 5:01 PM
Subject: 02-02-2021 MR Violent Crime Supression Detail 2
To: Andrew Skoogman <<email obscured>>
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*News Release*
[image: Contact: John Elder, Director, Office of Police Information
(Office) 612-673-3829 (Mobile) 612-578-4322 (Email)
<email obscured>] <<email obscured>>
*Contact: Andy Skoogman, Public Information Officer *
(Office) 612-596-9491
(Mobile) 612-919-5918
(Email) <email obscured>
*Targeted Joint Carjacking and Robbery Detail*
*Results in nearly 50 arrests in Minneapolis*
*Minneapolis, MN* – Officers from the Minneapolis Police Department and
Deputies with the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office Violent Offender Task
Force teamed up recently with air support from the Minnesota State Patrol
to target groups of individuals responsible for the on-going number of
violent robberies and carjackings in parts of South Minneapolis.
The three-day joint operation, which took place Jan 26th - 28th, resulted
in 46 arrests, including 69 felony level charges. Law enforcement recovered
15 firearms and 12 stolen vehicles, six of the vehicles were occupied at
the time officers and deputies seized the vehicles.
The felony level arrests included probable cause charges of carjacking,
drugs and weapons violations, auto theft and fleeing police.
“Our objective is simple: to protect innocent people from becoming victims
of extremely violent crime,” said Hennepin County Sheriff David Hutchinson.
“This joint operation, like the one before it, was targeted and laser
focused at getting the most serious criminals off our streets.”
As an example, while serving a search warrant at a home in Minneapolis, the
Minneapolis Police Gun Unit recovered 7 weapons and booked two men on
outstanding felony firearms and narcotics warrants.
“A few months ago, we ran a similar detail. We saw a reduction in these
types of crimes. We promised our residents at that time that if necessary,
we would run this public safety detail again. We continued to watch the
data and listened to our residents. As you can see from these numbers, the
need was there. The Minneapolis Police Department, and our law enforcement
partners, continue to be committed to addressing violent crime that has
impacted parts of this City” Chief Arradondo said.
Last year, there were 405 car jackings in the city of Minneapolis, a 301%
increase over 2019.
There are ways drivers can decrease the likelihood they'll be a victim of
carjacking, such as:
- Park in well-lit areas
- Always be hyper-aware of your surroundings
- Equip your car with an anti-theft device
- Lock your doors while driving
- Don’t stop for apparently stranded strangers along the road. Note
their location and pull over in a safe place once you’ve passed to call for
help.
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