Hennepin County Attorney announces new partnership to address rising crime

Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced plans Monday for a new partnership to address rising crime.

The partnership is being called MN Heals 2.0, which stands for Minnesota Hope, Education and Law and Safety, according to a news release. It is a refresh of a program first introduced by Freeman in 1997 during his second term as county attorney.

Freeman’s latest plan combines the efforts of mayors, county commissioners, law enforcement and business and faith leaders to create a private-public partnership. It comes amid growing calls for his office to impose harsher penalties.

Freeman said the MN Heals 2.0 should focus on the most serious of violent crimes, suburban as well as urban, with a particular emphasis on recent violent juvenile carjackings.