Anti-gang funding for metro hits bottleneck

In the latest fallout from the implosion of the Metro Gang Strike Force, the state delayed starting the annual funding process for anti-crime task forces in the metro area's two largest counties, and that drew an angry reaction Wednesday from a pair of top law enforcement officers.

At a meeting of the Gang and Drug Oversight Council in St. Paul, Ramsey County Undersheriff Nick O'Hara accused state Public Safety Commissioner Michael Campion of lacking the courage to show up and explain why Hennepin and Ramsey counties were excluded from an invitation to submit funding requests for their anti-gang efforts.

The same issue appeared to prompt St. Paul Police Chief John Harrington to get up and walk out of the meeting.

"The gangs aren't going away, and the drugs aren't going away," O'Hara told Jeri Boisvert, executive director of the Public Safety department's Office of Justice Programs. O'Hara said Campion should have been there himself to explain the delay rather than "to cut and run, to pull the funding and not tell us what's wrong."

Campion said in an interview that concern by legislators over allegations of improper oversight of the Metro Gang Strike Force led Public Safety to temporarily exclude Hennepin and Ramsey counties from an invitation to submit requests for proposals for funding for tasks forces -- four in Hennepin and one in Ramsey.

Campion said the Legislature's caution is warranted, and he shrugged off O'Hara's more personal remarks.

"After all the problems that were unveiled the last several months with the Metro Gang Strike Force, I'm not sure I care what Deputy O'Hara's personal opinion of me is," Campion said, adding that he had a lengthy phone conversation late Monday with Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher about Public Safety's strategy to work with the Legislature to renew funding.

"Sheriff Fletcher seemed pleased with the direction we were going, so I am surprised [O'Hara] would make those comments," Campion said.

The Strike Force was disbanded this year after an audit found a lack of oversight and an investigation found evidence that some of its members took home seized and forfeited property for their own use.

The investigations and news media reports also suggested that Strike Force targets frequently were minorities who were not gang members. The FBI began an investigation in May into possible misconduct by Strike Force members, while a new unit run under federal supervision is expected to be unveiled soon.

'A very delicate dance'

Boisvert told O'Hara and the other law enforcement officials at the meeting that since the Strike Force was disbanded, the Public Safety Department has engaged in "a very delicate dance" to assure the Legislature that anti-gang funds in the metro will be well spent.

Pressed for a reason that other metro counties and agencies across Minnesota had been invited to submit requests but Hennepin and Ramsey have not, Boisvert responded that those two counties are the state's largest [in population].

"That's not a good enough reason," O'Hara replied.

"That's all I've got." Boisvert shot back.

It was then that St. Paul Police Chief John Harrington got up to walk out. Asked if he wanted to say anything, Harrington responded, "It's a waste of time at this point."

Running short of funds

Funding for the task forces in the two counties is set to expire Dec. 31. Boisvert said Campion is working to get funding released before then.

"The commissioner has been pushing to the Legislature that we don't want a break in service," Boisvert said. "We're hoping to not do that. We're hoping to have productive conversations and get their blessing."

Campion defended the delay.

"Quite frankly, the Legislature has been good to us,'' he said. "But they expect a plan that has governance and doesn't allow for what happened with the Metro Gang Strike Force to happen again, and that's totally reasonable. If it takes a little bit of time to do this, so be it."

Abby Simons • 612-673-4921