Toward a More Consequential Criminal Justice System

We heard an informative presentation from David Zimmer, former law enforcement officer and current Policy Fellow with the Center for the American Experiment. He advocates for public policy that will ensure a more consequential criminal justice system for all Minnesotans. His talk delved into the facts behind the crime data which shows that while the rate of violent crime has declined in most of the State, Minneapolis has not. In the City of Minneapolis, the violent crime rate is 27% higher than in 2018. There continues to be a staffing crisis especially in the METRO area where Minneapolis alone is down 400 officers. He is working with the MN Justice Research Center to help address issues like 1) reducing non-fatal shootings and 2) the recruitment and retention problem.  He also addressed the power of the Sentencing Guidelines Commission and its impact on criminal justice before answering questions. We appreciate his hard work and expertise.

David Zimmer Policy Fellow CAE