HENNEPIN COUNTY, MN - Starting in October, the Hennepin County District Attorney's Office will no longer pursue charges in cases stemming from low-level traffic stops.
Instead of pulling drivers over for faulty tail lights or expired tags, Mary Moriarty said the focus will be on behaviors that endanger public safety, such as speeding, driving under the influence, distracted driving, and running red lights, KSTP reported.
Instances in which police pull drivers over for minor infractions are often called "pretextual stops" because they're used as a pretext to search someone's car in hopes of finding evidence of a crime, according to Moriarty.
She also pointed to data that shows people of color are far more likely to be targeted for those types of stops compared to their white counterparts.
"No one should lose their life as a result of a broken tail light or because they have an item dangling from their rearview mirror," Moriarty said.
"Nor should they be put through the inconvenience, humiliation, and trauma that results from being searched as a result of a pretext stop."
Imran Ali, general counsel for the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, called the policy "a gift to criminals and a slap in the face to law-abiding Minnesotans."
"Guns, drugs, and fugitives discovered during traffic stops will now walk free, while officers are left powerless to act," Ali said.
"This reckless decision doesn't just weaken law enforcement, it puts every family in greater danger." Other police chiefs are also speaking out against Moriarty's new policy.
"Minnetonka Police Chief Scott Boerboom, president of the Hennepin County Chiefs of Police Association, called the new policy 'deeply troubling,' and said it puts officers in 'an impossible position' to do their jobs, according to KSTP.
"This policy paints every community with the same broad brush," Boerboom continued.
"It was made without consultation, without collaboration and without respect for those of us that serve these residents every day."
Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt pushed back on what she called a "blanket policy" and said nearly half of the 377 illegal guns confiscated in Hennepin County this year were from traffic stops.
"When we're talking about wanting to prevent bad things from happening, wanting to prevent further shootings, we need the support to have the tools that we need to get those bad actors out of our communities," Witt said.
Ramsey County Attorney John Choi instituted a similar policy four years ago, something he says was controversial at the time but has freed up police resources to investigate serious crimes while having no negative impact on public safety.
In a statement, Daniel Borgertoepping, a spokesperson for Moriarty's office said Ramsey County is just one of several jurisdictions around the country that have "successfully implemented the same policy."
Sheriff Witt said Hennepin County deputies and detectives had conducted 93,223 traffic stops so far this year, with 62,602 resulting in verbal warnings and 18,671 being cleared without reports.
Those traffic stops resulted in 624 arrests and the confiscation of 175 illegally owned firearms.
Witt said 67% of these stops resulting in warnings was evidence of positive law enforcement interactions that presented drivers the opportunity to correct safety issues.
The Hennepin County Attorney's Office had different perspectives, saying gun recoveries in less than 0.2% of all traffic stops represented an "inefficient" use of resources.
Moriarty's office also stood by its approach to not consult with law enforcement before announcing the policy, saying "prior experience has demonstrated that engagement in advance with law enforcement leads to leaks and coordinated efforts to undermine collaborative work.
Instead of pulling drivers over for faulty tail lights or expired tags, Mary Moriarty said the focus will be on behaviors that endanger public safety, such as speeding, driving under the influence, distracted driving, and running red lights, KSTP reported.
Instances in which police pull drivers over for minor infractions are often called "pretextual stops" because they're used as a pretext to search someone's car in hopes of finding evidence of a crime, according to Moriarty.
She also pointed to data that shows people of color are far more likely to be targeted for those types of stops compared to their white counterparts.
"No one should lose their life as a result of a broken tail light or because they have an item dangling from their rearview mirror," Moriarty said.
"Nor should they be put through the inconvenience, humiliation, and trauma that results from being searched as a result of a pretext stop."
Imran Ali, general counsel for the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, called the policy "a gift to criminals and a slap in the face to law-abiding Minnesotans."
"Guns, drugs, and fugitives discovered during traffic stops will now walk free, while officers are left powerless to act," Ali said.
"This reckless decision doesn't just weaken law enforcement, it puts every family in greater danger." Other police chiefs are also speaking out against Moriarty's new policy.
"Minnetonka Police Chief Scott Boerboom, president of the Hennepin County Chiefs of Police Association, called the new policy 'deeply troubling,' and said it puts officers in 'an impossible position' to do their jobs, according to KSTP.
"This policy paints every community with the same broad brush," Boerboom continued.
"It was made without consultation, without collaboration and without respect for those of us that serve these residents every day."
Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt pushed back on what she called a "blanket policy" and said nearly half of the 377 illegal guns confiscated in Hennepin County this year were from traffic stops.
"When we're talking about wanting to prevent bad things from happening, wanting to prevent further shootings, we need the support to have the tools that we need to get those bad actors out of our communities," Witt said.
Ramsey County Attorney John Choi instituted a similar policy four years ago, something he says was controversial at the time but has freed up police resources to investigate serious crimes while having no negative impact on public safety.
In a statement, Daniel Borgertoepping, a spokesperson for Moriarty's office said Ramsey County is just one of several jurisdictions around the country that have "successfully implemented the same policy."
Sheriff Witt said Hennepin County deputies and detectives had conducted 93,223 traffic stops so far this year, with 62,602 resulting in verbal warnings and 18,671 being cleared without reports.
Those traffic stops resulted in 624 arrests and the confiscation of 175 illegally owned firearms.
Witt said 67% of these stops resulting in warnings was evidence of positive law enforcement interactions that presented drivers the opportunity to correct safety issues.
The Hennepin County Attorney's Office had different perspectives, saying gun recoveries in less than 0.2% of all traffic stops represented an "inefficient" use of resources.
Moriarty's office also stood by its approach to not consult with law enforcement before announcing the policy, saying "prior experience has demonstrated that engagement in advance with law enforcement leads to leaks and coordinated efforts to undermine collaborative work.
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Comments
2025-09-26T10:32-0400 | Comment by: James
Got tp protect those with drugs in their cars you know! What a load of liberal crap!
2025-09-26T14:46-0400 | Comment by: Thomas
Wow.... I'm glad I don't live there. It's clear that liberal states like this favor the criminals and not LE.