South/West news briefs, July 3

Freeman seeks new staff to review body cam videos

With more police departments adding body cameras, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman asked the County Board last week for an extra $94,000 to hire two paralegals and one legal secretary who would categorize, view and transcribe police body camera videos.

The new positions were unanimously approved in a public safety committee and are expected to get final approval at the next County Board meeting on July 12.

Freeman told county commissions Tuesday that body cameras will result in a lot of extra work for his office in terms of reviewing video from across the county.

The county attorney's office gets about 1,500 felony cases each year from Minneapolis police; of those, about 1,000 result in adult charges. The department is getting nearly 600 body cameras starting this summer, which will yield an estimated 700,000 to 800,000 videos each year.

"That's a lot of video," Freeman said.

County commissioners asked staffers to review other potential costs that the body camera videos could have for the county.

To stem the number of annual drownings in Hennepin County, county officials are starting a pilot program to make it more easier for kids in underserved communities to get swimming lessons.

The program, funded with $35,000 from the county's Youth Sports Program, won approval at a budget committee meeting last week and is expected to get final approval by the County Board on July 12. It will likely fund lessons this year and next spring at USA Swimming.

Last week, a 9-year-old boy died two days after being found unresponsive in a pool at a private home in Shorewood. Authorities reminded the public that drownings are usually silent and that children who can't swim can drown in 30 seconds.

KELLY SMITH

The next Bloomington City Council member will be chosen after the political equivalent of a speed-dating event.

The seat was vacated last month by Cynthia Bemis Abrams, who resigned from the council June 4. The newly appointed member will fill the remainder of her term, which runs through December 2017.

JOHN REINAN

Officials in Hanover broke ground on Friday, July 1, for the city's first senior living facility.

The city, which sits along the border between Hennepin and Wright counties, held a ceremony for the two-story, 24-unit assisted living and memory care facility to be built at 10875 Settlers Lane N. It's scheduled to open in early 2017.

The city gave final approval last November, saying that a market study showed a need for senior housing.

KELLY SMITH

Hennepin County and Minneapolis will celebrate the 125th anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone for the City Hall/County Courthouse building on July 11.

The event, which is open to the public, will take place from noon to 1 p.m. in the rotunda and include music, exhibits and ice cream floats. Commissioners Jan Callison and Peter McLaughlin, Mayor Betsy Hodges and City Council President Barbara Johnson will speak at the event.

The cornerstone was laid above the 4th Street entry a few weeks after work began on the building on July 16, 1891.

KELLY SMITH

The restored steamboat was built in 1906 as one of seven "streetcar" boats to ferry visitors to resorts and hotels on the lake. It will leave Wayzata Depot Dock at 7 p.m. for the two-hour tour.

Tickets are $12 for historical society members and $15 for nonmembers. For tickets, go to wayzatahistoricalsociety.org.