The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office semiannual warrant sweeps this month helped capture three violent men on the agency's most wanted list.
Since the county started publicizing the sweeps before the Dec. 7 event, law enforcement has cleared 671 warrants involving 483 people. Most of the warrants were cleared through arrests, but 42 people voluntarily turned themselves in.
"My message for anyone with an outstanding warrant — turn yourself in. No matter what your warrant is for, ignoring it will not make it go away," County Sheriff Rich Stanek said. "If you don't turn yourself, we will find you."
Twice a year, the Sheriff's Office and about a dozen other area law enforcement agencies conduct sweeps to clear active warrants and makes arrests throughout the county. Last year, 1,261 warrants were cleared during a similar sweep time period.
People with all types of felony and gross misdemeanor warrants were pursued, with a focus on warrants related to violent crime. The Sheriff's Office has 20 deputies to serving warrants daily, but the sweeps are another method to track down violent felons, Stanek said.
"We enjoy doing sweeps, and they are always successful," Stanek said. "It's great to work with other local agencies and learning about different techniques, tactics and strategies."
Even if a warrant can't be served during the sweep, deputies and officers will often learn that the suspect is staying with a relative or friend and may still be able to apprehend them.
Planning sweeps is very labor intensive, Stanek said. For each warrant, it must be determined where the suspect lives, information about associates and the risk level to deputies.
