On Wednesday, Senator Bill Ingebrigtsen (R-Alexandria) presented legislation to provide a crime prevention grant for the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office and appropriate money to allow the county to use the State Patrol’s Air Patrol to address rising violent crime in St. Paul.

“We need to help our law enforcement partners tackle the massive spike of crime that we’ve seen hit Ramsey County,” Senator Ingebrigtsen said. “We’ve been too passive in catching these criminals in the Twin Cities Metro. With these resources, we can fight back. By helping law enforcement establish a multilateral effort, we can effectively track these thugs and crackdown on violent crime and carjackings. These efforts will go a long way to protecting communities and would-be victims who have been suffering.”

The first part of the bill grants $2.4 million for the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, which has been on the front lines of fighting the dramatic spike in violent crime. The resources will allow them to lead and coordinate policing activities with other sheriffs’ offices, police departments, and Metro Transit in hotspots for crime.

The second portion provides $600,000 for the State Patrol to provide air support to more effectively track vehicles used in violent crime. Recently, some agencies have given criminals the green light to flee from police, allowing these types of crimes to run rampant. By using the State Patrol’s helicopters or airplanes, law enforcement can still track violent criminals but with a reduced risk of accidents.