2022.03.22 CC Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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with the concerns of the cash bail system. He supported the country moving away from the cash bail system in order to find another pre-trail detention system. He explained after the death of George Floyd, the Minnesota Freedom Fund raised $35 million and these funds have been used to post bail. He then discussed Rule 20 Gap Cases, commented on the process followed for having some civilly committed and encouraged the Council to look into this topic further. Ramsey County Attorney Choi reported a Violence Reduction Leadership Group has been formed to address the rise in crime. He noted the issues being discussed by this group and stated there was a focus on deterrence. He explained this group was the first in the nation to request and receive grant funding specifically for the problem of carjacking. He stated he was pleased to see the direction this group was moving in order to address crime in the County, while bringing the community navigators, family members and police together. Ramsey County Attorney Choi explained Congresswoman McCollum has been approached and was asked for $900,000 in order to assist with the efforts of the Violence Reduction Leadership Group. He was hopeful that the federal government would be making a direct appropriation for this group sometime in March. He stated monthly meetings with suburban police chiefs and County corrections (both adult and youth) were also being held in order to identify issues and discuss problem solving measures. Ramsey County Attorney Choi then discussed his RCAO policy for non-public safety traffic stops which addressed brake lights, head lights, tinted windows, excessive muffler noise, dangling items from the rearview mirror, and overdue tabs. He stated this policy was put in place so as not to further perpetuate the racial disparity that exists. He understood this policy was controversial for man y, but he believed his job was to be an administrator of justice and to be an advocate for the community. He commented further on the racial disparity that exists with these types of traffic stops and noted they were not yielding a high outcome of drugs or other contraband. He reiterated that public safety exceptions may be made. He stated it was his hope that over time trust would be increased between the community and public safety. Ramsey County Attorney Choi commented on the Bail Reform Working Group that was formed noting work continues between the Sheriff, other system leaders and the community. He stated this system had to move away from a wealth-based system to a safety-focused system, while also reducing jail admissions and improving support. He further discussed the efforts of the County and reiterated that the County was very focused on prosecuting violent crimes or threatened violent crimes. Mayor Niedfeldt-Thomas thanked Ramsey County Attorney Choi for his presentation. She stated it would be helpful for the leaders of New Brighton to understand what he was seeing in the City’s data. Ramsey County Attorney Choi commented relative to other cities the crime issues were not as high as other places. He understood there were incidents that were happening but it was not as severe as other communities. Paetznick discussed the upward trend in crime (theft and gas drive offs) that occurred in 2021, but stated violent crimes were few and far between in New Brighton. He appreciated the fact that violent crimes were a high priority for the County. Councilmember Allen explained he served as the Council Liaison to the Public Safety Commission. He reported the City reviews, monitors and discusses its traffic stop data on a yearly basis. He indicated this group discussed what contributes to the numbers and commented the sad reality is the public safety department may be seeing people on their worst day. He reported he appreciated how the Public Safety Department focuses on education and has even pursued grants to provide vouchers to assist with mechanical issues. Ramsey County Attorney Choi reported the County has raised $150,000 to assist with providing options other than a citation for drivers that need mechanical work or new tabs on their vehicle. He was of the opinion the police were asked to do too much, such as enforcing expired tabs.