Minnesota Agencies

The Oversight Council shall develop an overall strategy to ameliorate the harm caused to the public by gang and drug crime within the state of Minnesota. This strategy may include the development of protocols and procedures to investigate gang and drug crime and a structure for best addressing these issues in a multijurisdictional manner. Additionally, the oversight council shall:

(1) identify and recommend a candidate or candidates for statewide coordinator to the commissioner of public safety;

(2) establish multijurisdictional task forces and strike forces to combat gang and drug crime, to include a metro gang strike force and a gang strike force located in the St. Cloud metropolitan area;

(3) assist the Department of Public Safety in developing an objective grant review application process that is free from conflicts of interest;

(4) make funding recommendations to the commissioner of public safety on grants to support efforts to combat gang and drug crime;

(5) assist in developing a process to collect and share information to improve the investigation and prosecution of drug offenses;

(6) develop and approve an operational budget for the office of the statewide coordinator and the oversight council; and

(7) adopt criteria and identifying characteristics for use in determining whether individuals are or may be members of gangs involved in criminal activity.

The 2005 Minnesota Legislature passed legislation to improve coordination of gang and drug enforcement efforts throughout the state. To ensure an effective outcome, the legislature established a Gang and Drug Oversight Council ("Council") to provide guidance related to the investigation and prosecution of gang and drug crime.

In 2009 the Council addressed issues related to the Metro Gang Strike Force that were identified by OJP staff, the Office of the Legislative Auditor and the Luger-Egelhof Report.

The 2010 Legislature repealed the Gang and Drug Oversight Council.

The Council is comprised of 32 voting members that represent federal, state and local law enforcement and prosecution agencies. Effective in 2007, two non-voting legislative members now serve on the Council: Senator Linda Higgins and Representative Debra Hilstrom.

The oversight council shall consist of the following individuals or their designees:

(1) the director of the office of special investigations as the representative of the commissioner of corrections;

(2) the superintendent of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension as the representative of the commissioner of public safety;

(3) the attorney general;

(4) eight chiefs of police, selected by the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association, two of which must be selected from cities with populations greater than 200,000;

(5) eight sheriffs, selected by the Minnesota Sheriffs Association to represent each district, two of which must be selected from counties with populations greater than 500,000;

(6) the United States attorney for the district of Minnesota;

(7) two county attorneys, selected by the Minnesota County Attorneys Association;

(8) a command-level representative of a gang strike force;

(9) a representative from a drug task force, selected by the Minnesota State Association of Narcotics Investigators;

(10) a representative from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration;

(11) a representative from the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives;

(12) a representative from the Federal Bureau of Investigation;

(13) a tribal peace officer, selected by the Minnesota Tribal Law Enforcement Association;

(14) two additional members who may be selected by the oversight council;

(15) a senator who serves on the committee having jurisdiction over criminal justice policy, chosen by the Subcommittee on Committees of the senate Committee on Rules and Administration; and

(16) a representative who serves on the committee having jurisdiction over criminal justice policy, chosen by the speaker of the house.