Overview
- Sheriff Dawanna Witt and police chiefs held a coordinated news conference Friday to denounce the move, arguing it will weaken public safety and saying they were given little to no advance notice.
- The Sheriff’s Office reported seizing 377 illegally possessed guns so far in 2025, with about 47% recovered during traffic stops, and said deputies conducted just over 93,200 stops with most ending in verbal warnings.
- The County Attorney’s Office says it will generally decline felony prosecutions that stem solely from non‑public‑safety stops for minor equipment or registration issues, with exceptions for compelling public‑safety interests and continued prosecution in dangerous‑driving cases.
- Moriarty cites research and Minneapolis data showing guns were found in less than 0.5% of 2017–2018 moving‑violation stops and points to documented racial disparities in who gets stopped.
- Officials note Ramsey County adopted a similar approach in 2021 without apparent harm to public safety, Minneapolis is already under consent‑decree limits on such stops, and the Hennepin office plans stakeholder engagement before the policy takes effect.