Hennepin County Sheriff Joins NYPD Shield Program

Sheriff Rich Stanek is enthused about the new public-private partnership to improve information sharing.

The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office has launched a private-sector partnership to improve information sharing and the reporting of suspicious activity. According to a report today from the Star Tribune out of Minneapolis, the initiative will be modeled after the New York Police Department’s successful “Shield” program, a clearinghouse for crime alerts, threat updates, training and latest offerings from counterterrorism experts. The sheriff’s office is the 10th law enforcement agency to start its own Shield program and will become of an affiliate member of the NYPD Shield.

“The Sheriff’s Office Shield network is a front-line strategy for protecting residents against public safety threats both large and small,” Sheriff Rich Stanek said Thursday. “The ability to quickly and effectively share crime trend information with our private-sector security partners gives us another prevention tool to ensure the highest level of safety and security for the residents of Hennepin County.

His office has been working on the program for a year, and there is no cost to participate, Stanek said. Several other law enforcement agencies around the country, including Seattle, have adopted their own Shield network, creating a national network for communicating national crime trends. The NYPD Shield consists of nearly 17,000 members at 6,800 organizations, and the sheriff’s office will be able to take advantage of its crime analysts.

The Shield will enhance the sheriff office’s already solid working relationship with the private sector and will include monthly meetings and issuing public reports, Stanek said. A website has been set up for new businesses or groups to apply for the Shield. The banner reads: Countering Terrorism Through Information Sharing. Stanek emphasized that the program won’t violate the public’s civil rights or privacy.

“After more recent events, the need to continue to be vigilant is imperative to the safety and security of our society. Private security professionals truly are the eyes and ears of the community,” the website reads.

The Mall of America, which has 40 million visitors per year and 15,000 employees, will be part of the Shield program. Others include Thrivent Financial, Best Buy, Ameriprise Financial, and Xcel Energy.

You can read the entire report HERE.

While the Sheriff and others are excited about their public-private partnership, others caution that law enforcement, like education, is on a slippery slope where big money interests are moving in to take over responsibilities traditionally handled by sworn law enforcement personnel and that makes us nervous.