New anti-gang unit formed

A new temporary law enforcement unit to combat gang activities in the Twin Cities will not include any current officers from the Metro Gang Strike Force, the Strike Force's oversight board decided Tuesday.

Michael Campion, state public safety commissioner, said the need is urgent to get a new temporary unit up and running, and he set a Thursday deadline for applicants, with the new investigators to be ready to report for duty on July 9.

Several of the advisory board's members argued for including current Strike Force officers in the temporary unit, as long as they had not been accused of improprieties. Campion said he had "struggled" with the issue but decided he needed new officers in the unit because two investigations of the Strike Force -- one by the FBI and one by a state panel that Campion appointed -- have yet to be completed.

The state probe headed by Andrew Luger, a former assistant U.S. attorney, and John Egelhof, a retired FBI agent, has found new problems, including evidence in the Strike Force's evidence room in New Brighton that did not belong there, Campion said. Luger and Egelhof recommended that current Strike Force investigators be kept off the temporary unit, Campion said.

A debate over whether the current Strike Force commander, Chris Omodt, should head the temporary unit highlighted the undercurrent of disagreement within the oversight board, which is made up of area law enforcement officials.

Omodt, a Hennepin County sheriff's captain, took over as Strike Force commander on Jan. 20 and has criticized past Strike Force practices. Before Omodt, the Strike Force was led for 11 years by Ron Ryan, a former member of the St. Paul Police Department and Ramsey County Sheriff's Office.

Call for new commander

During Tuesday's meeting, St. Paul Police Chief John Harrington and Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher said that if the temporary unit were to be comprised of all-new members, it should not be led by Omodt.

"Everyone is under a cloud," Harrington said.

Said Fletcher, "I have seen very little leadership from Commander Omodt in the last six months."

Campion, however, said that he was "comfortable" with Omodt and that he had "contributed immensely." He said Luger and Egelhof also were comfortable with Omodt in charge, and Manila Shaver, the advisory board chair, said he supported keeping Omodt as commander.

The board eventually agreed to keep Omodt in his post without the matter coming to a vote. Omodt, who had been attending Tuesday's meeting, left during the discussion. The board also decided to confirm Commander Brian Coyle of the St. Paul Police Department as assistant commander of the temporary unit.

But it decided not to approve an earlier proposal to also make North St. Paul Police Sgt. Charles Kunkel assistant commander, because he had joined the Strike Force last summer.

Operations suspended

Strike Force operations were abruptly suspended by Omodt on May 20 when he discovered that members had removed files from the unit's New Brighton office and shredded documents. Hours earlier, the Minnesota Legislative Auditor had released a report that found that the Strike Force had mishandled seized property and vehicles, and more than $18,000 seized by the force was missing.

Campion announced June 12 that he was suspending the Strike Force indefinitely after the auditor found more seized vehicles improperly forfeited. Campion also announced at that time the creation of a new temporary unit of eight to 12 members to be run out of the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension offices in St. Paul. As of Tuesday, only three officers had applied, all current Strike Force members.

Campion took responsibility for the slow start, writing to Shaver, "This may be due to lack of guidance and clarity from the Department of Public Safety as to what would be the basic expectations and conditions with this interim unit."

The board agreed Tuesday with Campion's proposal that the unit consist of a minimum of eight investigators from metro-area agencies. Campion warned that if there were an insufficient number of investigators, his department would not consider it a viable unit.

Based on the panel's discussion, it appeared that the police and sheriffs' offices represented at the meeting would be able to submit the names of at least six investigators. The advisory board will meet Tuesday to approve the temporary unit's members.

A strictly metro unit

Created in 1997 as a statewide unit, the Strike Force became a strictly metro operation in 2006, with a mission to tackle local gang violence and drug dealing. It had 34 members when the Minneapolis Police Department withdrew its nine members in May, citing budgetary concerns. Minneapolis Deputy Police Chief Rob Allen said Tuesday that his department is undecided about whether to provide officers for the temporary unit.

There was no debate Tuesday on Campion's proposal that set out the temporary gang unit's agenda. In his letter to Shaver, he spelled it out: "concentrate on gang saturation, reactive enforcement and the dissemination of gang intelligence for response by local agencies."

Randy Furst • 612-673-7382