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September 29, 2023
Dear MPPOA Members:
I’m writing with a further update regarding school resource officers. This week, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty sent a letter to the chiefs in Hennepin County with her interpretation of the new SRO language. In summary, her position greatly differs from Attorney General Ellison’s most recent guidance and reiterated there are two different standards of force at play for law enforcement officers.
MPPOA and our legal team have worked diligently with the Governor and Attorney General on a bridge that could restore school resource officer coverage while we worked for a legislative change during a regular session of the legislature. We are disappointed to hear that the county attorney of our state’s largest county is in direct conflict with our state’s Attorney General. We know this could lead to 87 county attorney positions as well, which have the prosecution authority on civil and criminal charges for our rank-and-file members.
The new guidance from Hennepin County Attorney Moriarty makes it crystal clear the only way to adequately address this issue and return school resource officers to school is an urgent legislative fix.
Earlier today MPPOA’s staff and Board of Directors met with the state’s union presidents and law enforcement leadership. Due to the numerous opinions on the application of the law and the current uncertainty, and on advice of MPPOA’s General Counsel, we continue to
- ask our members to work with the city and county attorneys in their jurisdictions, along with their union representatives, and
- advise caution for our rank-and-file members serving in contracted assignments in a school setting until the law is revised with a legislative fix.
Sincerely,
Brian Peters
Executive Director
Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association
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