City Of St. Louis Park: Mayor Spano Applauds Arrest Of Suspects In Attempted Carjacking; Calls For Policy Change

Press release from the City of St. Louis Park:

December 19, 2021

On Dec. 17, the mayors and police chiefs of several west metro communities, including St. Louis Park, met to talk about recent high-profile crimes in the west and southwest metro area. This meeting coincided with news that two suspects had been arrested in Dec. 9 attempted carjackings in St. Louis Park and Edina. After the meeting, St. Louis Park Mayor Jake Spano provided the following comments.

"I applaud the cooperation of the St. Louis Park and Edina police departments, in close collaboration with multiple other agencies, that led to identifying and arresting two of the suspects involved in the recent attempted carjackings," said St. Louis Park Mayor Jake Spano.

"In this context, several west metro communities met Dec. 17 to talk about the recent high-profile crimes in the southwest metro. In that meeting we heard from our police chiefs that stolen cars are being used to commit other crimes and this needs to be addressed through policy change at the Hennepin County Attorney's Office. We also discussed the need to have a more collaborative ongoing partnership with the Hennepin County Attorney's Office and Hennepin County Sheriff's Office as we all work to reduce crime," Spano continued.

"In St. Louis Park, we believe we can both keep our communities safe and support the need for criminal justice system reform. While the arrest of suspects in the recent attempted carjacking cases in St. Louis Park and Edina is a relief, it’s not the solution. We are all in this together and we need to find a solution together."

This press release was produced by the City of St. Louis Park. The views expressed here are the author’s own.