Big cuts coming to Minnesota DOC's K-9 program as Stillwater prison closure looms
In a statement to WCCO News, a DOC spokesman called the decision "difficult," and confirmed that the number of K-9 officers will drop from 13 down to two, effective Nov. 5.
"By focusing resources on staffing correctional officer posts — positions that provide 24/7 coverage — we are ensuring that safety is maintained at all times, rather than relying on intermittent K-9 availability," a DOC spokesperson wrote. "When the phased closure of Stillwater was announced, the legislature directed, and the agency endeavored, to maintain as many correctional officer positions as possible. Given this goal of maintaining security positions, agency leadership was required to make difficult budget decisions, including alteration of the size, scope, and focus of the agency's K-9 program."
Richard Jennings, a retired corrections officer and former trainer at Stillwater, blasted the move.
"What is one officer's life worth? What is one offender's life worth?" Jennings said. "If we're not coming to stop things there could be offenders stabbed and killed. The situation is quelled really, really fast when we come in with the dogs. It really is."
Stillwater prison is set to close by 2029, as part of a budget agreement struck by the Legislature. The facility houses between 1,100 and 1,200 inmates and employs roughly 560 people, but the operational costs of the 111-year-old building have become "untenable," Gov. Tim Walz said.
According to the DOC, four K-9s currently work at Stillwater, and the costs to taxpayers sometimes went far beyond food and veterinary care.
"While dual purpose K-9s (apprehension and drug detection) can aid facility security efforts, weekly training, along with care and maintenance requirements, impact the K-9 team coverage in the facilities," the DOC spokesperson wrote. "Because the dogs are a state-owned resource, the agency understandably pays for the dog's food and veterinary care. In addition, the agency provides compensation to the K-9 handlers for the daily care and maintenance of their canine partner, and each handler is provided a take-home vehicle, with the agency covering the cost of vehicle maintenance and fuel. Finally, the agency has faced liability exposure from accidental or unintended dog bites, including the recent settlement of more than $350,000. The agency takes these safety risks to staff and incarcerated individuals seriously."
Beginning in July 2027, the department will start vacating the Stillwater facility entirely. The full closure is expected to be complete by June 30, 2029.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
a minute ago
- New York Times
Trump Is Testing D.C.'s Home Rule. What Is It?
President Trump's rapidly escalating push to exert control over law enforcement in Washington, D.C., has posed one of the biggest threats to the city's self-governance since it was granted limited home rule by Congress in 1973. The fight, which has now moved to the courts, could affect not just who gives orders to the city's police officers in the coming days, but what becomes of the District's tenuous autonomy. What is home rule? The District of Columbia Home Rule Act of 1973 gave residents of the capital a limited form of self-governance for the first time since the 1800s. Before it, Congress and commissioners appointed by the president governed the city. And District residents — who had no representation in Congress — basically had no local elections to vote in, either. Home rule gave D.C. residents the power to elect a mayor, a District of Columbia Council and local neighborhood commissioners. But it also imposed extensive congressional oversight over how those officials govern the city, including the laws and budgets they adopt. As a result, the federal government hovers over how local officials govern just about every aspect of life in the city. The arrangement — unique to any city in America and originating in the Constitution's provision for a federal 'District' — has shifted some over time. For a period starting in the mid-1990s, a financial control board established by Congress managed the city's finances. And the federal government has taken back control of some functions the city struggled to fund (given the limitations Congress itself put on revenue the city could raise). But the basic contours of government in D.C. have been set for half a century by home rule — or 'limited home rule,' as locals more often describe it. Who controls the police department under home rule? The Metropolitan Police Department is controlled by Mayor Muriel Bowser of the District of Columbia, a Democrat, who appoints its police chief. The agency primarily functions as other municipal police departments do, although it also regularly supports the federal government. When the president travels around town in his motorcade, M.P.D. manages traffic. When large protests or events like inaugurations happen, M.P.D. officers help secure them (they also responded to the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol). Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
CBS News
a minute ago
- CBS News
13-year-old on ankle monitor arrested in Baltimore carjacking's had 18 prior arrests, police say
A 13-year-old teen has been arrested after two alleged carjackings and a robbery in July, according to Baltimore Police. According to BPD, the teen, whose identity has not been shared, had 18 prior felony arrests in the city. One incident occurred on July 26, at approximately 6:44 a.m. in the 2300 block of Guilford Street. Two male juveniles exited a black Hyundai and approached a woman's vehicle, according to police. The suspects allegedly entered her car and struck her multiple times with an unknown black object. The victim put her car in reverse, causing the suspects to flee in the Hyundai, police said. Then on July 27, at around 5:31 a.m., three suspects pulled in front of a victim's car in the 100 block of East Lanvale Street, according to police. They allegedly demanded her keys, wallet and iPhone before driving away in her vehicle while a second car followed. The third alleged attack happened July 28, at approximately 5:00 a.m. in the 200 block of East 24th Street, though it wasn't reported until Sunday evening. Three suspects approached a woman with a handgun, announced a robbery and stole her purse containing cash and house keys. Investigators located both the suspects' vehicle and a stolen vehicle in the 500 block of Highland Avenue. During the investigation, detectives were able to identify During the investigation, detectives identified the 13-year-old suspect through his ankle monitor GPS system. The device placed him at each incident location during the times of the crimes. The juvenile was arrested and transported to the juvenile booking intake facility. Youth crime, particularly carjackings and theft, has been a growing concern among Baltimore City residents in recent weeks. In one notable case, Pastor Kenneth Moales Jr. was carjacked at gunpoint by a masked 6-year-old in Upper Fells Point. The incident occurred in the 1700 block of East Pratt Street near Broadway. His Audi was recovered 10 days later. On July 5, a 10-year-old was among four juveniles who allegedly fled in a stolen vehicle and assaulted a man at a bus stop on Northern Parkway. On June 22, a 14-year-old on GPS monitoring allegedly went on a crime spree in Northeast Baltimore, according to the Baltimore Police Department. In response to the rise in juvenile crimes, WJZ Investigates questioned Maryland's new acting secretary of Juvenile Services about balancing accountability and rehabilitation. Betsy Fox Tolentino, acting secretary of the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, said the department is considering new strategies to reduce juvenile crime, including more monitoring, supervision and behavior-change programs.
CBS News
a minute ago
- CBS News
Rapper Sean Kingston sentenced to over three years in prison for million-dollar fraud scheme
Rapper Sean Kingston has been sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison for his role in a million-dollar fraud scheme, which also involved his mother, Janice Turner. In addition to prison time, he was also sentenced to three years of supervised release. Last March, Kingston, whose legal name is Kisean Anderson, and Turner were each convicted by a federal jury of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and four counts of wire fraud. Turner was sentenced in July to five years in prison. Kingston and Turner were arrested in May 2024 after a SWAT team raided his rented mansion in Southwest Ranches, Florida, and took Turner into custody. Kingston was later arrested at Fort Irwin, an Army training base in California's Mojave Desert, where he was performing. He waived his right to fight extradition and was returned to Florida. According to federal prosecutors, Kingston and Turner orchestrated a scheme to obtain high-end items—including a luxury SUV, jewelry, expensive watches and a wall-sized TV—without paying for them. Turner and Kingston falsely claimed to have made wire payments for the merchandise, but investigators later confirmed the payments were never completed. Authorities presented evidence showing the pair used fake wire transfer receipts as proof of payment. A key piece of evidence was a text message from Kingston to his mother that read: "I told you to make [a] fake receipt," followed by, "so it [looks] like the transfer will be there in a couple [of] days." Authorities said the pair retained more than $1 million worth of goods and assets without fulfilling their financial obligations. Kingston's attorney attempted to separate his client's public image from his personal finances, describing him as "a soft guy who grew up poor when he rose to fame overnight," with "no idea how to run a business [and] no idea how much money is in his bank account." The jury took about three hours to reach its verdict in Kingston's trial. In addition to the federal charges, Kingston and Turner are also facing separate state fraud Maldonado, Joan Murray and Doug Myers contributed to this report.
