Hennepin County law enforcement condemn new traffic stop policy

Law enforcement speaks out against new Hennepin Co. policy

Law enforcement leaders from across Hennepin County spoke out Friday after about the decision to not prosecute felonies stemming from traffic stops.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Hennepin County law enforcement leaders are calling the decision not to prosecute felonies stemming from low-level traffic stops "deeply troubling."

READ MORE: Hennepin County will no longer prosecute cases that come from 'non-public-safety traffic stops'

Law enforcement speak out about new HCAO policy

Police say they weren't consulted on new Hennepin Co. traffic stop policy

Police chiefs in Hennepin County say Mary Moriarty hid the rollout of the new non-public-safety traffic stop policy from them. FOX 9's Corin Hoggard has the full report.

What we know:

Law enforcement leaders in Hennepin County gathered Thursday to speak out against a new policy from the Hennepin County Attorney's Office. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said earlier this week her office would not prosecute felonies that come from low-level traffic stops. 

Minnetonka Police Chief and President of the Hennepin County Chiefs of Police Association Scott Boerboom said the policy is "one size fits all" and will have "serious consequences" for public safety across the county. 

"Just two weeks ago, at a public meeting, we asked the county attorney's office if they were developing this policy. We were told there were no updates," Boerboom said.

Boerboom went on to say the decision was made to implement the policy without consultation or collaboration with local law enforcement. Boerboom said every city in Hennepin County is different, and should not be treated the same. 

Law enforcement leaders said at a minimum, these traffic stops are "crucial in educating drivers on the law, preventing accidents that could be caused by equipment violations."

Hennepin Co. Sheriff calls new traffic policy 'reckless'

Hennepin County law enforcement agencies are pushing back after Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said her office will not pursue charges that stem from non-public-safety related traffic stops. FOX 9's Corin Hoggard has the full report.

By the numbers:

Arrests from the low-level traffic stop are less than 1% of total stops, law enforcement said. 

The Hennepin County Chiefs of Police Association provided the following data on traffic stops in the county, saying there were 101,393 total traffic stops from Jan. 1, 2025, through Sept. 19, 2025. They included: 

• 62,602 - Verbal Warning
• 18,671 - Disposition Blank (The unit cleared the call without a disposition)
• 16,280 - Citation Issued
• 1,930 - Written Warning
• 624 - Arrest
• 537 - Canceled
• 458 - Report
• 250 - Advised/Logged
• 41 – Issued Repair Voucher

According to Hennepin County Sheriff Dewanna Witt, deputies have seized 377 illegally possessed guns, and 47% of those guns were confiscated during a lawful traffic stop. 

What they're saying:

"When we become officers, we swear an oath to protect, to serve, and to uphold the laws of Minnesota. We don’t pick and choose which laws we follow, but that is what County Attorney Moriarity is doing with this harmful decision to limit prosecuting felonies that stem from traffic stops and consent searches," said Boerboom. "Our association and its members protect and serve nearly 1.3 million Minnesotans across 45 communities, and what works in my community of Minnetonka, may not work well in Minneapolis, Bloomington, Medina or Rogers. This harmful policy will make it harder for us to do our job, paints all departments under one broad brushstroke, and completely ignores the role and voice of law enforcement in helping keep our communities safe. The residents of Hennepin County deserve better."

"With the amount of violence our communities have endured over the last few months, now is not the time to lower standards for public safety. The HCAO already has charging discretion, and this new policy is an overreach," said Witt. "Our deputies will continue to operate within the law, making lawful stops and lawful arrests, seizing illegally possessed guns, drugs, and any other illegal matter that will cause harm to Hennepin County. We will continue to prioritize the safety of those we took an oath to protect and serve." 

Hennepin County non-public-safety traffic stop policy 

The backstory:

Moriarty said the purpose of the policy is to reduce the time wasted by law enforcement on what are often referred to as "pretext stops," which she says rarely recover contraband.

"It is an enormous waste of resources and comes at a devastating cost to our community," Hennepin County Attorney Moriarty said. "We must acknowledge the significant racialized harm that these stops inflict on our Black and Brown community members, sometimes to the point of death."

In practice, this means that if an officer pulls over a driver for something like expired tabs, and finds a more serious crime while writing a ticket, that criminal charge will no longer be pursued by the county attorney. 

Data provided by the Hennepin County Attorney's Office show that a gun was recovered less than half of 1% of the time, based on moving violation numbers recorded from 2017 to 2018.  

Moriarty continued by saying, "Our policy aligns with the non-public-safety traffic stop provisions that were agreed to by the City of Minneapolis in both a federal and state consent decrees, which Mayor Frey and Chief O'Hara committed to follow earlier this year." 

There are exceptions to the policy if the case presents a "compelling public safety interest," Moriarty said. She cited an example where a gun that was recovered in the suburbs during a traffic stop was linked to a shooting in Minneapolis.