Strike Force's revival in limbo

With the Metro Gang Strike Force under fire and suspended indefinitely, a temporary unit was expected to be up and running this week.

But that unit remains in limbo with a debate flaring over whether it should include current Strike Force members at a time when the force is being investigated by both the FBI and a panel appointed by Michael Campion, the state commissioner of public safety.

The controversy could go public today when members of the Strike Force advisory board -- all metro area law enforcement officials -- hold a committee meeting to consider the matter and Campion announces where he stands.

"He has not made a decision," said Andy Skoogman, a Department of Public Safety spokesman, on Monday.

"The whole purpose of the [temporary] unit was to restore public trust and have an organized unit that can combat gang violence in the summer," said one law enforcement official who declined to be named. "Until the investigation is complete, none of them should be serving" on the temporary unit.

Campion is weighing three options: naming all new members, having a blend of new and current Strike Force members, or not funding a temporary gang unit at all, Skoogman said.

The temporary gang unit would be up and running within 10 days with eight to 12 members, Campion said at a June 12 news conference.

The application process itself is hazy. The three Strike Force members reportedly applied via e-mail, but no formal application process has been approved by the advisory board, said one official.

Two assistant commanders have been proposed for the interim unit, with one a current Strike Force member. The unit is to be led by Capt. Chris Omodt of the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office, who became commander of the Strike Force in late January.

Manila Shaver, chairman of the advisory board and chief of the West St. Paul police, declined to say Monday whether he favored a unit of new members, or some combination of new and old, until he addresses the board today. He said he wanted to hear what board members have to say.

"I am hoping to put a metro-wide gang-fighting unit back together," he said. "I think that is the most effective and efficient way of fighting gangs."

Skoogman said Campion will meet this morning, prior to the advisory board meeting, with the two men he appointed to head an internal inquiry of the Strike Force: Andrew Luger, a former assistant U.S. attorney, and John Egelhof, a retired FBI agent. Campion will review what they have learned so far and solicit their views.

History of the Strike Force

The Strike Force, which was created in 1997, consisted of law enforcement officers and supervisors from various departments and agencies. But it has been beset with criticism since April when it was reported that six Strike Force members had attended a conference on gangs in Hawaii, with their expenses paid for with money the unit had seized during investigations. On May 20, the Minnesota legislative auditor released a report that was highly critical of the Strike Force's operations, saying the unit had mishandled seized cars and property and that more than $18,000 in seized funds could not be accounted for.

That night several Strike Force members removed files from the force's New Brighton headquarters and shredded documents, and Strike Force operations were immediately suspended. The following week at an advisory board meeting, Campion announced that the FBI would conduct a preliminary investigation to determine if there was any criminal activity, and he named Luger and Egelhof to do a separate inquiry and recommend new protocols on how the Strike Force would operate.

It was at that meeting that Campion forecast that the Strike Force would be up and running again by July 1, and the board set up a committee to consider the future direction of the Strike Force.

After the legislative auditor discovered more vehicles had been improperly forfeited, Campion, with the backing of the advisory board, suspended the Strike Force indefinitely and announced the creation of a temporary unit.

Today's committee meeting will thus take on more urgency. Among those likely to be at the meeting are Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek, Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher and St. Paul Police Chief John Harrington.

Paul Schnell, a spokesman for the St. Paul Police Department, said he spoke with Chief John Harrington and that the department's position is that it will assign new officers to the unit who were not members of the Strike Force, but that they might come out of the department's gang unit.

"I am somewhat frustrated by the lack of clarity and direction that the Metro Gang Strike Force is headed," Stanek said Monday. "There are a lot of questions and not a lot of answers."

Fletcher could not be reached for comment on Monday.

The Minneapolis Police Department, which had nine members on the Strike Force before it was suspended, announced in May that it planned to pull out all of its officers for budgetary reasons. But board members, including Shaver, have continued to urge Minneapolis police to stay involved. It is generally acknowledged that much of the metro gang activity is centered in Minneapolis.

The status of the FBI investigation also remains unclear. "We have no updates on the case at this time," said E.K. Wilson, an FBI spokesman. "I can't give you any idea when it will be completed."

Luger also declined to disclose a timetable for his inquiry.