SAINT PAUL, Minn — EDITOR'S NOTE: The video above originally aired March 11.
The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association on Friday afternoon sent a letter to Gov. Tim Walz, asking him to remove the case charging Minnesota State Trooper Ryan Londregan with murder from the Hennepin County Attorney's Office and allow the Minnesota Attorney General's Office to assume responsibility for the case.
"We understand this is an uncommon request. It is our sincere belief that if fair prosecutors review the case, they will determine that it should be dismissed with prejudice," the letter stated.
The letter is signed by MPPOA Executor Director Brian Peters, President David Titus, General Counsel Imran Ali, and Mike LeDoux -- President of the Minnesota State Patrol Trooper Association.
The request comes after the revelation this week that Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty charged Londregan despite the opinion of her retained use-of-force expert Jeff Noble that Londregan acted reasonably when he shot Ricky Cobb during a traffic stop because Londregan likely perceived his partner's life was in danger while being dragged by Cobb's car. A spokesperson for Moriarty emphasized that the discussion with Noble was preliminary and that Noble did not have all the information involved in the case, but Moriarty's team stopped consulting with him following that.
"Trooper Londregan, like any Minnesotan accused of a crime, deserves to have any possible charges considered by a prosecutor concerned with justice, not a personal political agenda. The Hennepin County Attorney's Office has, unfortunately, destroyed any semblance of trust that once existed between them, our members, and the broader public. We pray that you will take decisive action, as you have before, to restore public confidence in the criminal justice process," the letter said.
“The Governor takes this matter seriously. We have received the letter and are reviewing it,” a spokesperson to Gov. Walz said.
A spokesperson with Moriarty's office released the following statement:
We are disappointed but not surprised to see MPPOA’s request that the Governor give special treatment to this case and, for just the second time in the history of the state, remove a case from our jurisdiction. We will not talk about the facts of this case. That’s for the courtroom.
MPPOA is right about one thing - there is a crisis in confidence, but it is not because of attempts at accountability. It is because of well-documented and horrific instances where some officers abused their power and used unauthorized force. These abuses have fallen disproportionately upon the shoulders of black and brown Minnesotans. It is unfortunate to see MPPOA fail to acknowledge this history and fail to try to repair it.
While it is extremely rare for the governor to exercise his power to remove a case from an elected county attorney, he did so in April 2023 in the case involving the murder of Zaria McKeever, reassigning the case to Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison.
It is unclear if Ellison would even be able to take the Trooper Londregan case, because the Attorney General's office represents Minnesota agencies -- potentially posing a conflict of interest with the Minnesota State Patrol.
When Londregan's attorney Chris Madel was reached for comment on the MPPOA's request, he emailed back, "We're praying this insanity comes to an end."
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist: