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<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Council Worksession <br />March 8, 2022 <br />5:00 pm <br /> <br />Present: Mayor Kari Niedfeldt-Thomas <br /> Councilmember Abdullahi Abdulle <br />Councilmember Graeme Allen <br /> Councilmember Emily Dunsworth <br />Absent: Councilmember Pam Axberg <br /> <br />Staff in Attendance: Devin Massopust, Tony Paetznick <br /> <br />Guests in Attendance: Ramsey County Attorney John Choi, Mark Haas <br /> <br />Due to the COVID-19 pandemic this meeting was held virtually. <br /> <br />Discussion with County Attorney John Choi <br /> <br />Massopust introduced Ramsey County Attorney John Choi and Mark Haas to the City Council. He explained <br />staff has been having conversations with suburban partners regarding the uptick in crime and how to bring this <br />down. He noted Ramsey County Attorney Choi asked to come to a meeting to speak to the Council in order to <br />address this concern. <br /> <br />Ramsey County Attorney Choi thanked the Council for their time. He stated he has enjoyed getting to know <br />the mayor and has appreciated the conversations that have been held regarding the uptick in crime. He <br />commented he was receiving a lot of calls about all of the things that were happening that were unsettling, such <br />as car jackings and shots fired. He reported he appreciated the intent to better understand and hear his <br />perspective. At the same time, he believed the intention was to try and work towards solutions. It was his <br />hope that everyone would work together and pull in the same direction versus laying blame on any one <br />institution. <br /> <br />Ramsey County Attorney Choi reported one of the major contributors was the fact that the country was in the <br />midst of a global pandemic. He indicated many urban areas were facing the same concerns as Ramsey County. <br />He understood most looked to police to solve all of the problems, but noted the police have been under <br />tremendous stress for several years now due to civil unrest and being understaffed. He stated it was frustrating <br />for the police to see what was going on right now as well, because they were arresting individuals who were <br />then put back out on the street. He commented he would be speaking to this more. <br /> <br />Ramsey County Attorney Choi explained all people believed in the constitution and one of the things about the <br />constitution was guaranteeing everyone a right to a jury trial. He discussed how this has been impacted by the <br />pandemic noting there was a tremendous backlog and three times the workload. He then provided the Council <br />with a presentation that reviewed the crime rates for motor vehicle thefts, gun possession, drugs, car jackings <br />and aggravated robbery. He commented further on how the County was working on solutions to address the <br />rise in crime. Historical charging rates for adults and youth were reviewed along with the number of referrals <br />he received in his office each year. The prosecution policy for 5th degree drug charges during the pandemic <br />was further discussed. The “revolving door” concerns with respect to rising crime were then addressed along