A plan to start a telephone hot line next week for victims of the Metro Gang Strike Force to call to get back their property and cash is drawing considerable fire and could trigger a battle in U.S. District Court.
The Minnesota office of the American Civil Liberties Union said that the state should contact potential victims, not make the victims call first.
And a lawyer suing the Strike Force on behalf of alleged victims said the hot-line plan disrespects the judicial process, and he plans to take up the matter in Federal Court. He said people who believe they were wronged should get a lawyer, not call the hot line.
A preliminary investigation this summer found that some Strike Force members improperly seized cash and property and took some property home for their own use. The FBI is investigating. Two former Strike Force members have been suspended, one has been fired, and 11 others face internal affairs investigations by the Minneapolis and St. Paul police departments.
Critics say many victims of the Strike Force's misconduct are illegal immigrants who fear deportation and would be reluctant to call a hot line. Others, they say, will fear facing charges, such as possessing a small amount of marijuana, even though they were not arrested when their property or cash was seized.
Debate over process
The hot-line number, 651-209-2673, was set up Friday by the League of Minnesota Cities Trust Fund, the Force's insurance company. Officials defend the approach.
"This has nothing to do with criminal charges against individuals or checking into their immigration status," said Strike Force attorney Joe Flynn. "It is simply a process by which their property can be restored to these individuals in a prompt matter."