Gov. Tim Walz, Rep. Angie Craig highlight public safety efforts as GOP leaders condemn rising crime

Gov. Tim Walz and U.S. Rep. Angie Craig watched Friday as an increasingly angry resident berated a city council, then turned toward them and started throwing punches.

The two Democrats were viewing a de-escalation simulation at a Scott County regional training facility, where they stressed the importance of law enforcement training and highlighted federal and state spending on public safety amid rising crime nationwide.

"When we see a tragedy like Uvalde or we see a tragedy like Highland Park," said Walz, referring to recent mass shootings, "or see issues of people shooting fireworks, disrupting our cities — that takes a collaborative effort that we need to be prepared for on the front end."

Their tour of the training center in Jordan — the latest in Walz's series of public safety discussions around the state — comes as Republicans are denouncing what they consider the Democrats' inability to rein in crime and support law enforcement.

Candidates seeking statewide and local offices in Minnesota this fall will be addressing voters shaken by the latest spate of gun violence on the Fourth of July, from the mass shooting at the Chicago-area parade to the use of fireworks as weapons in downtown Minneapolis and the gunfire that rang out at Boom Island Park, injuring seven people.

"Make no mistake — Angie Craig, Tim Walz, and the rest of the Democrats in Minnesota are responsible for the surge in lawlessness and violent crime across our state," Republican congressional candidate Tyler Kistner said in a statement released Friday as the DFLers were gathering at the Jordan facility.

Kistner, who is looking to unseat Craig in their Second Congressional District rematch, said she has an "anti-law enforcement record." Craig dismissed the charge, along with attempts to connect her to the defund the police movement.

"You are going to hear a lot of nonsense in the next 125 days if you are tuning into an election," she said. She outlined a series of bills she has worked on that would direct money to law enforcement: "Hell, I have been funding the police," she said.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Jensen posted a video after July 4 of people shooting fireworks at others in Minneapolis, claiming Walz doesn't care about public safety in the city and repeatedly "froze" in preventing crime. Jensen laid out a plan to bring in state troopers to help local officers, toughen criminal penalties and appoint judges who will impose longer sentences.

Walz said he will deploy the State Patrol this weekend to help the Minneapolis police. But he added that the state "can't displace local law enforcement. That's not how this will be solved." He also stressed that incarceration isn't the answer.

Crime rates are up globally post-COVID, Walz said, adding that political leaders have a responsibility to offer a plan with real solutions, invest in it and track the data to make sure it leads to a reduction in crime.

The governor said the biggest thing state leaders could have done short-term to back law enforcement was to pass a budget during the recent legislative session that contained resources and funding to bolster police and the State Patrol. He placed blame for the failure to pass such a budget on Republicans.

While Walz and Craig emphasized that more funding is needed to help depleted law enforcement ranks, they also pointed to American Rescue Plan dollars as a source of support for local and state government public safety needs.

Last week Walz announced he would direct a portion of those remaining federal relief funds toward public safety, including $4 million on State Patrol and DNR officers, as well as development of a statewide education program on safe storage of firearms and distribution of gun locks at community events.