The real facts behind Hatch’s latest ad: Pawlenty’s Crime Record Part 1

Some people on the right are a little overeager to rip apart Mike Hatch’s latest ad (and with the polls going the way they are, I can see why), but their overzealousness may become a source of embarrassment if they’re not a little more careful.  With that thought in mind, let’s take a look at the facts behind Mike Hatch’s latest ad (watch the ad here).

more inside

First, let’s go through the real and legitimate, despite some claims, damage that Governor Pawlenty has done to the Minnesota Statewide Gang Strike Force, now the Gang and Drug Strike Force.  See, Tim Pawlenty continually cut funding from the Gang Strike Force starting with a $39,000 cut in 2003 and the cuts kept coming until the merger happened. 
When that happened all the outstate gang enforcement units were disbanded and the duties were taking up by the drug task force staff.  So where the Gang Strike Force had offices in Moorhead, Duluth, St. Cloud, and Rochester, the new Gang and Drug Strike Force had no Gang Strike Force staff in any of these locations.

This plan was so destructive that it was widely opposed by law enforcement officials.  They cited increasing gang violence, the potential loss of 34 officers as state employees, and the loss of any state wide coordinating office as reasons that the plan would be detrimental to Minnesota’s safety.  Commander Ryan, the head of the Strike Force, said at the time, “with gang violence on the rise nationally, now is not the time to eliminate the Minnesota Gang Strike Force.”  Despite this plea, and the pleas of many other state law enforcement officials, to keep the Strike Force intact, Tim Pawlenty reduced funding and merged it into the Drug Strike Force.

Incidentally, one of the anti-merger voices at the time was Attorney General Mike Hatch who said, “It makes no sense to dismantle an organization that is effective and unique in combating gang violence, especially at a time of increasing problems in the war on gangs.”

It seems that despite the whole system being gutted against his wishes, Hatch remained loyal to the newly merged task force as his deputy, Ken Peterson, stayed on the Gang and Drug Strike Force.

The worst part?  This is just the beginning of Pawlenty’s long record of cutting funding for cops and crime programs.  We’ve got plenty more to come; stay tuned…