MINNEAPOLIS — As the largest sheriff's office in the state, the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office covers 39 cities and more than 450 square miles, not to mention a rapidly growing population of more than one million.
Job duties include oversight of the jail, 911 operations, patrol, investigations and providing assistance to partner law enforcement agencies such as Minneapolis Police.
"My job is to keep the peace throughout the county," Sheriff Dawanna Witt said in an interview with KARE 11. "So if they're calling, we're coming. Minneapolis, Brooklyn Center, Golden Valley, wherever the help is needed we'll go."
Since taking office a year and a half ago, however, Witt has encountered a problem familiar to law enforcement across the country.
"The biggest struggle here within the last year has been staffing. When we talk about the increased calls and increase in violent crimes, I know the stats show that crime is going down but it's still very prevalent in ways it's never been in our communities. When we're responding to all these things, including a huge population in our jail and I don't have the proper staff that I need," Witt said, "staffing affects everything we do and how we do it."
According to the sheriff's office, the number of licensed deputies is currently down 15% and the number of detention deputies is down 20%.
Specifically in the jail, the sheriff has 198 authorized positions for detention deputies, but only 161 of those slots are currently filled, a spokesperson said. Also, with 911 operations facing a staffing burden as well, the county is paying $90,000 for a firm to study staffing needs within the 911 call center or Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP).
Staffing shortages have been well documented among law enforcement agencies in Minnesota, particularly in Minneapolis, where MPD has been down hundreds of officers since 2020.
Yet, comparatively, little attention has been paid to the shortages experienced in Hennepin County, which is projected to add 250,000 more residents over the next decade-and-a-half.
"We do see people leave for other agencies. And when we look at other agencies we look at, 'What's the difference? What do they have that we don't have? Unfortunately, it typically comes down to pay," Witt said. "With our agency in the metro area, we're just median as far as our pay. Our benefits are excellent but we have to be able to compete with other agencies in terms of salary."
The public job listing for a Hennepin County Sheriff's deputy indicates an annual salary range between $69,000 and $104,000. According to Law Enforcement Labor Services, wages for Hennepin County deputies rank roughly middle-of-the-pack compared to the seven-county metro. Despite having more than double the population of the next largest county, Hennepin County's deputies rank fourth in maximum wage rates and third in starting wages.
"We're just median as far as our pay," Witt said. "Our benefits are excellent but we have to be able to compete with other agencies in terms of salary."
Given her staffing shortages, Sheriff Witt said she has taken a targeted approach in terms of where to deploy the most resources, and she has also allocated more overtime to deputies when needed.
She also told KARE 11 that she will ask for more money from the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners, where discussions over the 2025 budget will accelerate, starting in September.
"We're going to be asking for a bigger budget. I don't know if we'll get it at this point, but we cannot be expected to continue increasing the public safety calls with the same budget that we've been operating with," Witt said. "So, I am looking forward to working with commissioners about what we can do to make sure this sheriff's office has the tools they need."
District 7 Commissioner Kevin Anderson, who represents the county's northwest suburbs, said he hasn't seen any specific numbers yet.
As budget talks ramp up, though, he said he would be willing to consider Sheriff Witt's request.
"I think we'll really have to see. The sheriff's department has a big part of our budget and they do a lot of important work, and I really trust Sheriff Witt to manage her budget and come to the board with the things that need to happen with public safety," Anderson said. "We want to make sure that we're addressing public safety holistically, that we're getting all the preventative measures, and that we're funding our embedded social worker program with our partners and police departments."
According to the 2024 budget document, the county board has approved increases recently for the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office. For example, the Sheriff's Office budget grew about 10 percent from 2023 to 2024, jumping from roughly $145 million to more than $160 million.
"We have increased staffing levels and allowed for increased salaries over the last several years," Anderson said. "It's been part of what we've tried to do."
With so much projected growth across Hennepin County, though, Sheriff Witt said her budgetary and staffing needs are only going to become more significant.
"When I tell you I'm down 20% on my frontline staffing, that's very difficult to manage, especially when we're talking about being the most populated county in this sate and having the largest jail in the state," Witt said. "We need to make sure we're growing with the demands that are coming from our community."