Senator Warren Limmer (R-Maple Grove), Chair of the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee, released the following statement:

“Before we jump to conclusions, we need to wait for the investigative report that will tell us what went wrong the day Officer Gomm died. The legislature will strongly consider any and all recommendations that come from the report.

The Department of Corrections received an 18% increase in funding in the past four years. As a former correctional officer, I can say with authority that it’s a dangerous job. Questions remain: The attacker had a history of violence toward guards, so why was he allowed to have special privileges in the work area? If that area of the prison was understaffed, should it have been closed? Were there other inmates involved? These questions and more need to be answered in order to adequately protect officers in the future.”