Violent crime up 21.6% in Minnesota since last year

PLYMOUTH, Minn. – Republican candidate for Minnesota Attorney General Jim Schultz released the following statement regarding the Minnesota Bureau of Crime Apprehension’s 2021 Uniform Crime Report. The report shows in the few years that Attorney General Keith Ellison has been in office murders are up 93%, assaults are up 64%, and robberies are up 35%. In addition, carjackings have become so frequent—779 incidents in 2021—that the MN BCA had to begin tracking them for the first time.

“Under Keith Ellison’s watch, Minnesotans have fallen victim to violent crime more than ever before. This is no coincidence— there is a direct line from the dangerous and immoral ‘defund the police’ policies that Keith Ellison has championed to the lawless environment our state has devolved into—worsened by the outrageous refusal to prosecute violent offenders. Keith Ellison’s complete disregard for the safety and security of Minnesotans is unacceptable. People have a right to safe communities, which is why I rolled out last month my six-point plan to restore safety to our great state. Minnesotans deserve better than the nightmare that Keith Ellison has created.”

Background:

Schultz’s Six-Point Plan to Restore Safety in Minnesota – Violent Crime

• Hire dramatically more attorneys in the AG’s criminal division and increase resources to fight crime – specifically violent crime. If the funds aren’t available, then reassign attorneys from other divisions (including those harassing small businesses and farmers) to work in the criminal division or, to the extent they do not have the requisite experience, reduce staffing in those divisions to free up budget for the criminal division.

• Support law enforcement. Call for more resources and broader public support for law enforcement to help rebuild police forces that have faced extraordinary attrition as a result of the hostility of public officials, leaving communities without the officers needed to prevent and respond to violent crime.

• Create a Blue-Ribbon Violent Crime Task Force focused on identifying ways to address violent crime including shootings, assaults, and carjackings.

• Work with legislators to make carjacking a specifically codified crime with increased penalties and mandatory minimum prison sentences.

• Work with legislators and the Governor to increase penalties for repeat offenders, enacting higher mandatory minimum sentences for violent offenders.

• Hold accountable prosecutors who fail to perform the duties of their office.

About Jim Schultz:

Jim Schultz, a fifth-generation Minnesotan, grew up in the small town of South Haven, Minnesota. His first job was in middle school as a corn detasseler in the fields of Stearns County. From there, he worked as a dishwasher and as a farmhand throughout high school before attending St. Thomas for college. Jim then graduated from Harvard Law School before moving back to the Midwest to begin his career as an attorney in the private sector. Jim currently serves on the board of The Front Line Foundation, a nonprofit supporting police and other first responders. Jim previously served on the Hennepin County Capital Budget task force. Jim and his wife live in the west metro and are the proud parents of three beautiful little girls. For more information, please visit https:// JimForMNAG.com/.

Follow Jim Schultz:

Website: JimForMNAG.com Twitter: @JimForMN Facebook: @JimForMN Email: [email protected]