Star Tribune
Target Field wins anti-terrorism safety designation that includes reduced liability
Target Field is the 12th Major League Baseball stadium in the U.S. to earn a federal designation that the ballpark provides enhanced protection from terrorist attacks.
The Twins and the Minnesota Ballpark Authority that owns Target Field said Wednesday they received a designation under the Support Anti-Terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies (SAFETY) Act, a program approved by Congress in 2002 and administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The recognition means the ballpark has a federally recognized combination of infrastructure, security technology, staff training and other measures in place to deter and defend against a terrorist attack.
In a statement, Matt Hoy, Twins senior vice president of ballpark operations, said: “Our paramount focus is, and always will be, on the safety, comfort and well-being of every individual that enters Target Field, whether that be for a game, a concert, another major event or our day-to-day operations.”
The DHS designation was created after 9/11 to encourage innovations in security technology and comes with benefits. The Twins and Target Field will have limited liability if an attack takes place because the ballpark’s security measures were vetted by the federal government.
The Vikings and U.S. Bank Stadium first received a SAFETY Act designation in 2020. The designations typically last five years and can be renewed.
A Twins spokesman said the team couldn’t put an exact price tag on winning the SAFETY Act designation because it includes both physical improvements, staff training and policies.
Prior to applying for designation, the team and the ballpark hired a consultant in 2019 to do a threat assessment and identified about $3.2 million worth of upgrades to the security perimeter that was split between Twins and the ballpark authority’s capital project fund.
BISMARCK, N.D. — The adult son of U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer is expected to change his plea on Friday in connection with a pursuit and crash that killed a North Dakota sheriff’s deputy last year.
Ian Cramer, 43, was scheduled to go to trial next week beginning Tuesday for charges of homicide while fleeing a peace officer, preventing arrest, reckless endangerment, fleeing an officer and drug- and driving-related offenses tied to the Dec. 6, 2023, pursuit and crash death of Mercer County Sheriff’s Deputy Paul Martin, 53.
Cramer pleaded not guilty to the charges in April. He was initially charged with manslaughter, which was later raised to the homicide offense, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and/or a $20,000 fine. A notice filed Wednesday indicates his change of plea is scheduled for Friday by videoconference.
The details of Cramer’s change of plea weren’t immediately clear. The Associated Press left phone messages with Cramer’s attorney and Mercer County State’s Attorney Todd Schwarz.
Bismarck police said Ian Cramer’s mother had taken him to a hospital because of mental health concerns. Court documents say he crawled into the driver seat of his parents’ vehicle after his mother got out and smashed in reverse through the closed garage door of the hospital’s ambulance bay. Court documents say he later fled from deputies when one confronted him in Hazen, about 70 miles (113 kilometers) from Bismarck.
Cramer hit speeds over 100 mph (160 kph) and kept going even after a spiked device flattened two tires, according to court documents. More spikes were set up, and Cramer swerved and then crashed head-on into Martin’s patrol vehicle and launched him about 100 feet (30 meters), authorities said. Martin was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
In March, Ian Cramer pleaded not guilty to separate felony charges of theft, criminal mischief and reckless endangerment in connection with the events at the hospital. A jury trial is scheduled for November.
Sen. Kevin Cramer, a Republican, has said his son ”suffers from serious mental disorders which manifest in severe paranoia and hallucinations.” Ian Cramer is being held at the McLean County Jail in Washburn on $500,000 cash bail.
“DHS takes seriously our role in promoting the health, safety and well-being of children and vulnerable adults, and our obligation as a steward of a significant amount of public dollars. The Office of Inspector General continues to review tips, referrals and data to identify the need for investigations,” department officials said in a statement.
In the letter to Demuth, DHS Inspector General Kulani Moti said there are nearly 300 agencies doing the early autism intervention work who are enrolled in Minnesota Health Care Programs.
The agency does screening site visits when a provider is enrolling in the health care programs, Moti noted, and they have to fill out an assurance statement attesting that they have certain experience and training. Individuals in contact with kids and families also have to pass a background check. The state does a revalidation screening process for the autism service providers every five years.
Moti outlined two potential next steps that could bring additional oversight: licensing service providers and clarifying whether DHS should be required to review the employment status of providers. The agency has been consulting with people in the autism community on whether the state should license early intervention providers and is going to give lawmakers their recommendations on that in the upcoming legislative session, the letter said.
“We look forward to working with you in the upcoming legislative session to strengthen the oversight of EIDBI,” Moti wrote.
The letter also listed the outcomes in the 10 closed investigations into autism intervention providers from the past five years. In the most recent cases, both closed this January, the state recovered more than $86,000 from Northstar Therapy Services in Edina, and recovered $192,000 and leveled a $5,000 fine on St. Paul-based Senzilla Health Services, Inc.
While Timberwolves guard Mike Conley was in Minneapolis for Sunday’s Minnesota Vikings home game, where he fired up the crowd before kickoff, his west-metro home was targeted by burglars, police said Wednesday.
The break-in of Conley’s sprawling residence in Medina occurred mid-afternoon Sunday and was the second of three carried out that day by at least two suspects while the homes were unoccupied, said Police Chief Jason Nelson.
In each instance, the chief said, the thieves got away with a yet-to-be determined amount of jewelry.
The perpetrators “may have done some surveillance or figured out some patterns” of the people who lived at the homes before striking, Nelson said.
In each case, the suspects approached the houses from the rear, broke in through lower-level windows, entered primary bedrooms, scooped up what jewels they could and were out within five minutes, the chief said.
Video surveillance at the Conley home on the southwest side of the city captured the image of a vehicle driving off that might be tied to the suspects. Nelson said there have yet to be any arrests.
One of the other homes was down the street from Conley’s, while the third was on the southeast side of Medina, the chief said.
Conley’s multimillion-dollar residence sits along a road with few other homes within shouting distance.
