Mary Moriarty, Dawanna Witt sworn in as Hennepin County's new attorney, sheriff

Hennepin County officials hosted a groundbreaking swearing-in ceremony Tuesday for its new top prosecutor and sheriff elected to lead the state's largest county at a time of mounting violent crime and calls for transformative change.

Mary Moriarty and Dawanna Witt took their oaths of office inside the Hennepin County Board Room crowded with family and supporters celebrating the historic occasion. Moriarty is the first openly gay chief county attorney, and Witt is the first Black woman elected sheriff in Minnesota.

Sheriff's deputies made up the majority of the crowd that looked on as Witt delivered an impassioned message of protecting residents, pointing directly to the men and women in uniform as both her hope and reason for being able to fulfill her new duties.

"I'm committing my heart to ensuring that we bring public safety, collaboration and effective methods to make sure all people feel safe and secure, not just the illusion, but actually being safe and secure," she said. "To do that, I have one of the best teams over there, Hennepin County Sheriff's Office."

Milwaukee County Sheriff Denita Ball came to Minneapolis Tuesday morning in support of Witt, despite the winter storm, because she said it was momentous for both Minnesota and Wisconsin, as Ball is Wisconsin's first Black woman elected sheriff.

"It just shows what perseverance and hard work would do," she said. "These opportunities are open to anyone."

Dakota County District Judge Dannia Edwards administered Witt's oath of office as Witt placed her hand on a Bible held by her husband, Jeffrey Witt, while flanked by her daughters, Brytani and Krysta. Witt said she was grateful for the honor, especially in the presence of family and grandmother Bertha Bickham, who Witt said rarely leaves her north Minneapolis home that's been hit by gunfire, mostly recently a few months ago.

"What we see increasing is crimes, victims, babies killing babies, the numbers of people being incarcerated. What do we see decreasing? People with a real feeling of hope," Witt said.

"See, I've been there before, where you cannot see past the next day, when there is not enough people telling you, 'Yes, you can.' … What Hennepin County has elected as their next sheriff is a person who runs on passion, and I believe we can do better. And that's half the battle. You have to believe."

Retired Hennepin County District Judge Kevin Burke administered the oath of office for Moriarty, his law clerk 30 years ago. Moriarty placed her hand on the memoir of the late civil rights leader John Lewis held by her partner, Jen Westmoreland, a Hopkins school board member whom Moriarty met on the campaign trail. Moriarty said it was a signed copy and she had the honor of meeting Lewis when she and her mother, Linda, went to Selma, Ala., for the 55th anniversary of Bloody Sunday shortly before Lewis' death.

"I marched across the bridge on that day, and always on my mind was the courage it took for John Lewis and others to walk across that bridge, knowing what lay ahead," Moriarty said. "In fact, his skull was fractured that day, yet he kept coming back and had the courage to speak out under circumstances that jeopardized his life. And so when I think of John Lewis, I think we can all do this. This may be hard, but it isn't as hard as what people in the civil rights movement did."

Moriarty said she aspires to transform the county's criminal justice system to "one that delivers justice for everyone" with a focus on restorative practices. That means those who've caused harm listen to their victims and take actions to not perpetuate harm. She said it creates a culture that "empowers and expects people to look for better, more just and effective ways to create public safety."

"You recognize that what we have done in the past has not made us safer, and it has harmed people in our community. Together, we are creating a new path forward," she said.

"Our community and our office have experienced a great deal of trauma. And we have not yet had the conversations that will allow us a deep, meaningful understanding and the path forward. For some, this is a painful revisiting of something we would prefer to put behind us. For many, it was never put behind. Until we have a shared understanding of this trauma and the beginnings of a path forward, you will not be able to heal."

In her speech, Moriarty said the transition has been smooth and included listening sessions with staff and an anonymous survey. She will oversee Minnesota's largest public law office, comprising 200 attorneys, 260 support staff and a $69 million budget. She previously served as Hennepin County chief public defender but was suspended and not reappointed to that post in 2019. She will be taking on slightly depleted ranks.

Since Nov. 1, 16 people have left or have indicated they will be leaving the County Attorney's Office, according to Moriarty's Executive Assistant Shawn Daye.

She defeated retired Hennepin County District Judge Martha Holton Dimick after the two emerged from a crowded seven-candidate primary.

Witt defeated Joseph Banks in the sheriff's race.

The 48-year-old major with the sheriff's office will oversee the largest jail in Minnesota. She takes over a department that has been without an elected leader for nearly a year. Outgoing Sheriff David Hutchinson, who was not present Tuesday, took a leave of absence last May, months after he crashed a county-owned SUV while driving drunk last winter.

Retiring Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman congratulated both officials in their new roles. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said he was feeling "optimistic" about the new officials, although he had vocally backed Moriarty's opponent in the heated race, as did Freeman.

"I think optimism was pervasive in the room," Frey said. "Every swearing-in is an opportunity for a new start. And I think there's quite a bit of opportunity for collaboration. I'm really excited about it."

Both the new sheriff and county attorney stressed the importance of communication and collaboration.

"When I sat down with the community, when I talked about the mission and the vision of Hennepin County, the input came from the people that are living in the streets every day, dealing with the madness that is going on," Witt said. "It is not my office. It's our office."