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MN police lay out plan to combat Somali gang violence
How police plan to stop the gang violence
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The FBI and ATF are joining a coordinated law enforcement effort to combat recent incidents of Somali gang violence in the Twin Cities.
New coordination in gang violence plan
What we know:
At a news conference on Monday, the Minnesota BCA announced 46 law enforcement agencies agreed to a framework to address gang violence in the metro.
Officials say the new coordination will operate under Minnesota's Crime Gun Intelligence Center and include resources from the FBI, ATF, along with local, county and state entities. The Crime Gun Intelligence Center is described as a "data-driven" policing effort that will coordinate investigations and facilitate information sharing among agencies.
Minnesota BCA Superintendent Drew Evans said one of the main goals is getting agencies that may possess different pieces of intelligence to share information across jurisdictional lines.
Gang violence in recent months
The backstory:
The initiative follows a rash of violence in recent months connected to Somali and East African gangs, including a shooting outside the Eden Prairie homecoming football game, a shooting at an Edina church, more than 100 rounds fired outside a home in Bloomington connected to the Eden Prairie shooting, and a shooting along Highway 100 in St. Louis Park.
Amid the recent violence, local officials, including Eden Prairie Mayor Ron Case and Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher, have advocated for a regional task force to combat the gang violence. Earlier this year, Sheriff Fletcher held a community meeting focused on Somali gang violence after trouble over the Fourth of July weekend.
What they're saying:
"We have a Somali-American gang problem right now," said Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges. "This does not mean that all members of the Somali-American community are involved in criminal activity, because that is simply not the case."
Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher also stressed that the actions of the few shouldn't be used to disparage the Somali community as a whole. Fletcher estimates that the Somali gangs total around 300 members and 13 separate entities.
"There's only 300 kids that are really involved in this activity," said Sheriff Fletcher. "So, [Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt's] right, we certainly can't indict the entire community over the actions of 300 kids."
RICO charges on the table?
Big picture view:
In backing a gang task force earlier this month, Sheriff Fletcher also called for an aggressive plan to arrest and prosecute gang members.
Fletcher said if authorities were to arrest 50 of the gang members, it would dramatically cut into the gang violence. Then, Fletcher said he'd like to see 25 of those 50 face federal RICO charges.
RICO — the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act — is a federal law that can be used to prosecute gangs and criminal conspiracies. The act is used to hit gang members with stuff sentences.
"RICO… is a federal statute that we could levy against gangs and conspiracies," explained FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Chris Dotson. "It's on the table, but it's again just one tool of several, federally, that we can bring."