MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Department of Corrections granted an extension Thursday for Hennepin County to reduce its jail population in the Adult Detention Center, just hours after the state’s original deadline expired. 

The extension will give Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt until Dec. 5 to lower the jail population to 600 inmates. 

Citing a failure to conduct adequate well-being checks and staffing shortages, the state placed the jail’s license on conditional status on Oct. 31. According to county data, there were 723 people incarcerated at Hennepin County facilities as of Thursday, both in City Hall jail space and the Public Safety Facility across the street. That means the county still needs to relocate 123 inmates to comply with the state’s order. (An additional 155 people from Hennepin County have already been annexed to other facilities). 

James Stuart, the executive director of the Minnesota Sheriff’s Association, criticized the state for setting an unrealistic deadline on Hennepin County.

“The Sheriff was making good faith efforts to move toward remedial fixes,” Stuart said in an interview. “We’re looking to relocate hundreds of incarcerated individuals into locations where there aren’t necessarily available beds, and on top of that, it creates challenges to get them to their court appearances, it takes them away from their defense attorneys, takes them away from their families as they get placed all over the state. It’s a very difficult situation.”

According to documents submitted to the state, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office already has agreements with five counties — Carver, Chisago, Scott, Washington and Wright — to help them house incarcerated people. Wright County has taken on the largest share so far, with 89 Hennepin County inmates currently staying there. Hennepin County is also in talks with 14 other counties to finalize agreements, although the sheriff’s office noted that this process “may take several weeks to accomplish.” Given that delay, plus medical screening requirements for relocated inmates, the sheriff’s office argued it needs more time to comply with the state’s request.

Hennepin County has also transferred some inmates internally, taking them from the jails to the Hennepin County Adult Corrections Facility in Plymouth, better known as the “workhouse.”

Earlier this week, Hennepin County Commissioner Kevin Anderson said he’s confident the county will be able to reach the state’s limit eventually, by utilizing both workhouse space and neighboring counties’ facilities.

“I really believe in the Sheriff’s ability to manage through this,” Anderson said. “We’re not in an easy situation but we’re going to work through it.”

The overcrowding issues are not unique to Hennepin County. Across the country, the combination of COVID-19, the opioid crisis, law enforcement staffing challenges, and other factors have placed an enormous strain on corrections systems. 

Alicia Granse, a staff attorney with the ACLU of Minnesota, said long wait times for mental health facilities are also causing issues within jails.

“A hundred days of sitting in jail, maybe even longer, waiting to go get the treatment you need,” Granse said.

County data shows that inmates have remained in custody for a median of 33 days, or slightly longer than a month. The longest stay in custody is listed at 713 days — roughly two years.

“Hennepin County needs to take care of that,” Granse said, “immediately.”

ST PAUL, Minn — A St. Paul Police officer is charged with driving while intoxicated after a crash this summer into a building that caught fire. 

The crash happened around midnight on Aug. 1 at the corner of 3rd Street E and Maple Street, officials said. That’s in the Dayton’s Bluff neighborhood. 

The driver, Bryan McKinnon, is a St. Paul Police Officer who was not on duty at the time. When responding officers arrived at the crash, Minnesota State Patrol was requested to take over the DWI investigation to avoid a conflict of interest, charging documents state. 

When a trooper asked McKinnon what happened before the crash, charging documents allege McKinnon said he lost control of the vehicle. When asked if he had anything to drink before driving, he said he had two beers. The criminal complaint states McKinnon did not want to do a breathalyzer test, but a warrant was signed for a blood draw, which showed he had a blood alcohol limit of .178. 

“This incident is deeply concerning and does not reflect or align with the values of our department or the expectations we have of each other or the people we serve,” said St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry in August. “We are cooperating with the Minnesota State Patrol’s investigation and are following our internal policies and procedures.” 

According to the criminal complaint the Minneapolis City Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case on a conflicts basis.