NRSC: WHOOPS!!! MINNEAPOLIS MAYOR R.T. RYBAK, A DEMOCRAT, BLASTS DEMOCRAT AMY KLOBUCHAR’S RECORD
Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, A Democrat, Blasts Hennepin County For Placing Too Many Homicide Offenders On Probation. "70% of the people who committed homicide in Minneapolis last year were on Hennepin County probation. The county and the city need to work together, but the county needs to step up." (Mayor R.T. Rybak, Minneapolis Mayoral Debate, Minneapolis, MN, October 30, 2005)
Violent Crimes And Murders Increased In Minneapolis In 2004, According To FBI Statistics. "In Minneapolis, the number of violent crimes rose by 4.2 percent. That includes a 15.2 percent increase in murders, to 53 for the calendar year [2004]." (Greg Gordon, "In Twin Cities, Violent Crime Rose," Minneapolis Star Tribune, October 18, 2005)
While Violent Crime Rose In Minneapolis, The Rest Of The Nation Experienced A Decrease. "The number of murders fell last year for the first time since 1999, part of a nationwide decline in all types of violent crime, according to FBI data . . . .[T]he FBI's preliminary data shows the number of violent crimes decreased 1.7 percent in 2004 compared to 2003 . . . . Violent crimes are rape, robbery, aggravated assault and homicides including murder and manslaughter." (Pete Yost, "Murders Down, Along With Other Types Of Violent Crime, FBI Says," The Associated Press, June 6, 2005)
Amy Klobuchar Currently Serves As County Attorney For Hennepin County. (Hennepin County Attorney Website, www.hennepinattorney.org, Accessed October 31, 2005)
Amy Klobuchar's Job As Hennepin County Attorney Is To Protect The Safety Of The County's Residents. "The mission of the Hennepin County Attorney is to protect the rights and safety of people in Hennepin County. The County Attorney serves as the chief prosecutor of all adult felony and juvenile crimes in Hennepin County. Hennepin County includes Minneapolis and 45 other communities with a total population of more than one million residents." (Hennepin County Attorney Website, www.hennepinattorney.org, Accessed October 31, 2005)
Amy Klobuchar Is Also A Candidate For Her Party's Nomination For U.S. Senate In 2006. "Klobuchar, the Hennepin County Attorney, is running against children's safety advocate Patty Wetterling and Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation President Ford Bell in the DFL primary. The incumbent senator, Democrat Mark Dayton, is not seeking re-election." ("Minnesota News In Brief," The Associated Press, September 29, 2005)
Mayor Rybak "Wandered Off The DFL Script." "Mayor R. T. Rybak wandered off the DFL script in last evening's Minneapolis mayoral debate on KSTP Channel 5 by laying the blame for the spike in Minneapolis murders squarely at the feet of Hennepin County. The problem? Frontrunner for the DFL U.S. Senate endorsement Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar-is responsible for prosecuting violent crime in the city."
(Kennedyvmachine Blog, http://www.kennedyvmachine.com/?p=847, Posted by Gary M. Miller, October 31, 2005)
Violent Crimes And Murders Increased In Minneapolis In 2004, According To FBI Statistics. "In Minneapolis, the number of violent crimes rose by 4.2 percent. That includes a 15.2 percent increase in murders, to 53 for the calendar year [2004]." (Greg Gordon, "In Twin Cities, Violent Crime Rose," Minneapolis Star Tribune, October 18, 2005)
While Violent Crime Rose In Minneapolis, The Rest Of The Nation Experienced A Decrease. "The number of murders fell last year for the first time since 1999, part of a nationwide decline in all types of violent crime, according to FBI data . . . .[T]he FBI's preliminary data shows the number of violent crimes decreased 1.7 percent in 2004 compared to 2003 . . . . Violent crimes are rape, robbery, aggravated assault and homicides including murder and manslaughter." (Pete Yost, "Murders Down, Along With Other Types Of Violent Crime, FBI Says," The Associated Press, June 6, 2005)
Amy Klobuchar Currently Serves As County Attorney For Hennepin County. (Hennepin County Attorney Website, www.hennepinattorney.org, Accessed October 31, 2005)
Amy Klobuchar's Job As Hennepin County Attorney Is To Protect The Safety Of The County's Residents. "The mission of the Hennepin County Attorney is to protect the rights and safety of people in Hennepin County. The County Attorney serves as the chief prosecutor of all adult felony and juvenile crimes in Hennepin County. Hennepin County includes Minneapolis and 45 other communities with a total population of more than one million residents." (Hennepin County Attorney Website, www.hennepinattorney.org, Accessed October 31, 2005)
Amy Klobuchar Is Also A Candidate For Her Party's Nomination For U.S. Senate In 2006. "Klobuchar, the Hennepin County Attorney, is running against children's safety advocate Patty Wetterling and Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation President Ford Bell in the DFL primary. The incumbent senator, Democrat Mark Dayton, is not seeking re-election." ("Minnesota News In Brief," The Associated Press, September 29, 2005)
Mayor Rybak "Wandered Off The DFL Script." "Mayor R. T. Rybak wandered off the DFL script in last evening's Minneapolis mayoral debate on KSTP Channel 5 by laying the blame for the spike in Minneapolis murders squarely at the feet of Hennepin County. The problem? Frontrunner for the DFL U.S. Senate endorsement Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar-is responsible for prosecuting violent crime in the city."
(Kennedyvmachine Blog, http://www.kennedyvmachine.com/?p=847, Posted by Gary M. Miller, October 31, 2005)
3 Comments:
Uh, Amy Klobuchar doesn't place anyone on probation, nor does any other member of her office. They prosecute and get convictions, while judges sentence offenders to, say, probations. With non-DFL governors since 1991, and those governors appointing the judges who are sentencing these people to probation, isn't this really Republicans' fault? Shouldn't Klobuchar be getting the kudos for securing convictions in the first place?
I have an idea so tempting and jucy that I have to keep my mouth shut until next Wednesday. Oooh this is tough.
I interpret Mayor Rybak's comments as saying that 70% of those charged with homicide were on probation (probably also parole) from some prior offense.
The use of probation is not a decision by the County Attorney but the sentencing judge. The use of parole is not a decision by the County Attorney but the Department of Corrections.
Once convicted of homicide, the vast majority of offenders face mandatory imprisonment. (Offenders convicted of Criminal Vehicular Operation or manslaughter charges might receive probation but that's not very likely either.)
I think what Mayor Rybak is complaining about is that the parole/probation supervision isn't stringent enough. I suspect Ms. Klobuchar would agree -- but that's not a function under her department's purview.
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