WHEREAS, Richard W. Stanek has served as the elected Sheriff of Hennepin County since 2007; and

WHEREAS, Sheriff Stanek shaped the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) into a modern, proactive, law enforcement agency positioned at the cutting edge of prevention strategies, new technology, and dedication to public safety in the 21^st century; and

WHEREAS, Sheriff Stanek’s initiatives such as the Violent Offender Task Force, the Criminal Information Sharing and Analysis Unit, Metro Regional Information Collaboration serve all local law enforcement agencies throughout the county and resulted in a 25% decline in violent crime over the past decade; and

WHEREAS, Sheriff Stanek’s focus on saving lives during the opioid crisis resulted in HCSO becoming the first public safety agency in Minnesota to carry naloxone; changes in state statute such as “Steve’s Law” in 2015; and all municipalities in the county having their first responders trained and equipped to administer naloxone; and

WHEREAS, Sheriff Stanek has worked tirelessly to protect Hennepin County’s most vulnerable residents by implementing reforms in the County Jail to connect individuals with a history of mental illness with necessary medical services; while also studying the effects of mental illness, opioid abuse, and socio-economic disparities in the criminal justice system to better inform practices and policies; and

WHEREAS, HCSO successfully merged 9-1-1 dispatch operations with several cities in Hennepin County, and managed technology changes such as text-to-911 and a new computer-aided dispatch system; and

WHEREAS, the HCSO Crime Lab continued to serve as a model of professionalism and service by achieving and maintaining international accreditation, introducing innovative services like mobile crime scene technology; and

WHEREAS, during his leadership of the agency Sheriff Stanek has ensured the employees and practices of HCSO are reflective of county residents by implementing new hiring strategies, doubling diversity in the workforce; embracing outreach and social media to further the public’s understanding of the Sheriff’s Office; creating mechanisms for resident participation like the Community Advisory Board, the Community Engagement Team, the Crime Lab Users Advisory Board, the Public Safety Communications User Advisory Board, and Resident Advisory Councils to build up trust between residents and law enforcement; and

WHEREAS, under Sheriff Stanek’s leadership, HCSO was named one of 15 nationwide demonstration sites for 21^st Century Policing under President Obama’s Task Force, serving as a model of community-oriented policing for law enforcement agencies across the county; and 

WHEREAS, Sheriff Stanek developed rigorous training programs to include mental health crisis intervention, implicit bias, cultural sensitivity, 21^st Century Policing, and procedural justice; and

WHEREAS, the public servants of Hennepin County, fellow law enforcement officers and all public safety partners recognize the tremendous contributions made by Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek; therefore

BE IT RESOLVED, that the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners extends its deepest appreciation and admiration to Sheriff Rich Stanek and wishes him well in his future endeavors.