Hennepin County Attorney launches probe and evidence portal for incidents tied to Operation Metro Surge

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty told the Supercommittee she has opened a Transparency and Accountability Project (TAP) to review incidents involving federal agents and Operation Metro Surge. Moriarty said county prosecutors, the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and pro-bono federal experts are reviewing 15'17 incidents flagged in public video and community submissions.

Moriarty said the county has filed formal demands for preservation of federal evidence and asked federal partners to produce materials; she urged residents to preserve video and file local police reports to ensure perishable evidence does not disappear. "We launched TAP to make sure federal evidence is preserved and to review whether local criminal charges are appropriate," Moriarty said. She encouraged witnesses to submit video to the county portal and said the county will coordinate with local police departments and, where appropriate, pursue charges under state law. Moriarty also described TUI preservation demands recently served on federal agencies.

The briefing included a request for constituents to do two things: 1) file a local police report when possible, and 2) submit any video or eyewitness material to the county's portal to preserve evidence for investigators. Moriarty said the county expects more litigation and that decisions on whether to charge particular incidents may be forthcoming once federal preservation is complete.