Greetings,
Minnesota’s student resources officers (SRO) debacle is finally over, after a brief hiccup temporarily sidetracked the legislation this week.
SRO BILL BECOMES LAW
Dozens of law enforcement agencies pulled SROs from schools across Minnesota after Democrats changed how school resource officers are allowed to de-escalate aggressive or violent situations. After assistance from Republicans, the Minnesota House approved a fix last week that law enforcement supported. But the Senate amended the proposal, which caused a temporary delay while both bodies worked out the final details. The governor signed the bill yesterday, and hopefully, all schools that lost SROs at the start of the school year will now see them return.
CALLS ON HENNEPIN COUNTY ATTORNEY TO RESIGN
On Monday, new court filings revealed that Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty disregarded the opinion of a use of force expert hired by her office in the case involving State Patrol Trooper Ryan Londregan, and that Hennepin County Attorney’s Office (HCAO) officials attempted to “persuade Noble to change his opinion to support a decision to prosecute.” The expert witness, Jeffrey Noble, informed Moriarty’s office in October 2023 that he believed that Trooper Londregan had acted lawfully, and “dismantled the HCAO’s other theories of Trooper Londregan’s fault in this case.” Moriarty then proceeded with filing charges, despite the testimony from the expert witness hired by her office.
Moriarity’s actions are disgraceful, and I join my colleagues who have called on her to resign and drop the charges against the state trooper.
LOCAL VISITORS
The State Office Building was filled with motorcyclists on Wednesday as A.B.A.T.E. Day at the Capitol took place. It was good to visit with constituents from the local chapter.
Senator Howe and I also visited with local bank officials during their day on the hill this week.
Representatives Demuth, Perryman and I also met with members of the Stearns Conservation District.
Thanks for stopping by!
KEEP IN TOUCH
As always, I'm continuing to support constituent needs. Feel free to contact me anytime at rep.tim.odriscoll@house.mn.gov. or by phone at 651-296-7808.
Have a good weekend,
Tim