Not one of us can rest, be happy, be at home, be at peace with ourselves, until we end hatred and division. Congressman John R. Lewis
“The voters in Minneapolis have spoken and the time is now to move forward as a community to evolve policing. We must work together to attract more diverse deputies and officers to the profession; we must develop, deliver, and fund more relevant training focused on the sanctity of life, and we must gather more impact from citizens to better serve every member of our communities with empathy, equity, and compassion. As sheriff, I have been and I’m still committed to working with the leadership of the Minneapolis Police Department to combat crime in the city and enhance delivery of public safety services to its residents. But in the end, it will take all of us working together to restore trust in communities where it has eroded.” Hennepin County Sheriff, David P. “Hutch” Hutchinson, November 2, 2021DAVID P.
David Hutchinson was elected Hennepin County Sheriff in November of 2018. He was sworn in as the 28th Sheriff of Hennepin County on January 7, 2019. He was told he could not beat the incumbent, but the 15-year public safety professional as a transit officer, and the son of a retired K-9 officer of the Burnsville police force, he was adamant that change had to come sooner rather than later.
“The incumbent sheriff had been in office for 12 years and continued to rely on outdated 1990’s model of policing that ignored transparency and responsiveness to community needs. Transparency, responsiveness, and flexibility are some of my core values. It was time we elected a sheriff that would respond to everyone, all neighbors, no matter where they came from or what they looked like,” he said.
Jerry Hutchinson would often take his young son to school in his police car after an all-night shift. By the age of 10, he knew his bigger and more progressive ideas for policing just might work. He believed law enforcement needed to be more inclusive, diverse, and respectful in all communities. At the time, Hutch would be the first LGBTQ sheriff in the Midwest.
Hutchinson began his career as a police officer in Bayport, Minnesota and joined the Metro Transit Police Department in 2006. Prior to winning election as sheriff, he served as a sergeant working on the north side of Minneapolis and surrounding suburbs. He also supervised the Peer Support Program, Crisis Intervention Training (CIT), and Community Engagement Teams.
Hutchinson served in the poorest and most disenfranchised neighborhoods of Hennepin County. He worked with diverse communities, from recent immigrants and refugees to long-established residents. This experience allowed him to engage in community problem solving and partner with businesses and agencies across the county to improve the safety and health of the city’s communities, he said.
“This is a team effort and as a leader, I would succeed only if I were honest and transparent, and all about bringing people together. I also believed that if we introduced young students from underserved and low-income communities to dedicated police officers — if we gave them a voice and listened to their concerns, and held stakeholders accountable for their actions, then perhaps we could offer opportunities for the sheriff’s office to promote good paying jobs and benefits from within the ranks.”
The sheriff has been nationally recognized for establishing an overall environment of wellness and healing for the officers and staff, community residents and youth, and especially for incarcerated inmates suffering opioid addiction. Within the first year of his administration, he established an internal wellness unit called Tri-Wellness in an effort to promote mental, physical, and spiritual health so officers could be better stewards in the communities they served. He formed two new divisions, The Community Outreach Division and the Criminal Intelligence Division which focuses on data-driven policing. The team analyzes information to identify crime patterns and emerging trends, generating investigative leads of suspects involved in criminal activity. Hutchinson says he values his partnerships with community agencies and other local law enforcement offices, and currently serves as Technology Chair for the Major County Sheriff’s Association and is a member of the Minnesota Post Board and a board member of Youth Link, a non-profit in downtown Minneapolis that helps young people escape homelessness and find hope through community resources. A former client, Michelle Basham, was recently named interim executive director.
Hutchinson says jail could be a place for reform, an opportunity to break the cycle of poverty and inequities. He launched a program called H.O.P.E. (Helping Others by Providing Education) to bring that vision into reality. With education and skill development opportunities, adult enrichment classes such as financial literacy, employment preparation, and voter education, many inmates can create their second chance. Upon their release, they are connected to community support services that keeps them on track for being productive citizens, and thereby, decreasing recidivism. “Our office continues to partner with government agencies, non-profits, private partners and philanthropic organizations to help ensure that those who join our program remain on a path towards a better future,” Hutchinson said.
Hutchinson says he fights for respect and support for his officers who are doing good. “Often I feel we’re being painted with this broad brush and that’s not very fair. Many get depressed and some have left the profession. When we began to concentrate on mind, body, and spirit, the inmates knew there were those of us who acknowledged their humanity. Now, a chaplain, fitness trainers, and mental health therapists are available for the inmates upon request. If we help people on the front line, we won’t have as many criminals,” he said.
