Car thefts are down in Hennepin County. Sheriff Dawanna Witt explains why.
MINNEAPOLIS — There is some positive news on crime coming out of the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office: car thefts have seen a big drop.
The sheriff's office responds to calls throughout Hennepin County; that includes Minneapolis and its suburbs, with a population of 1.26 million.
The sheriff's office tracks the counties' key crime statistics. Violent offenses year to date have increased 5% over 2023, property offenses have decreased 6% and auto thefts have decreased a strong 25%. Auto thefts are also down in Minneapolis year to date, with 3,895 this year compared with 5,118 at this time last year. Carjacking figures in Minneapolis have remained flat.
Sheriff Dawanna Witt has been in office for just over a year and a half. She was a guest on WCCO Sunday Morning at 10:30 a.m.
"We implemented a new auto theft team, which are out there proactively not just preventing car thefts but actually recovering vehicles so people aren't left without their property for long periods of time," Witt said. "We know how much of a strain that can be on family, work when people do not have their vehicle and let's not even mention insurance costs."
Witt says it's been a difficult year for local law enforcement. In February, there was the fatal shooting of two Burnsville police officers, Paul Elmstrand and Mathew Ruge. Firefighter-paramedic Adam Finseth was also shot and killed in that incident.
In May, Minneapolis police officer Jamal Mitchell was fatally shot. The month before, Hennepin County sheriff's deputy Christopher Heihn was shot in the arm while serving a warrant. He survived and was released from the hospital the next day.
Witt says these attacks on law enforcement have doubled since 2017 and the sheriff says they have simply got to stop.
You can watch WCCO Sunday Morning with Esme Murphy and Adam Del Rosso every Sunday at 6 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
