LIVE at 11 A.m.: North Dakota Sheriff Asks Minnesota Governor for Exemption From That State’s New Use of Force Laws

Thanks to high-profile cases, including the death of George Floyd, Minnesota has become an epicenter in the political battle over the use of force by law enforcement.

As a result, the state has created new use of force laws, and they’re not sitting well with some in law enforcement.

Cass County Sheriff Jesse Jahner, whose North Dakota jurisdiction bumps up against Minnesota’s border, recently wrote a letter to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz asking him to exempt North Dakota cops from the new law so that they can continue to render assistance across the border.

North Dakota law enforcement in border communities frequently crosses into Minnesota while in pursuit of criminals, or to assistant Minnesota law enforcement officers, and vice versa.

Jahner and other leaders in North Dakota law enforcement say they’re not doing it anymore until Minnesota’s law changes or they get an exemption.

“The Cass County Sheriff’s Office and our North Dakota partner agencies were notified of a recent change to Minnesota statute…governing Use of Force. It presumes guilt of an officer using deadly force unless the officer provides, and the court accepts, a statement covering a three-part test documenting the necessity of deadly force,” Jahner writes in the letter.

Sheriff Jahner joins this episode of Plain Talk Live to discuss Minnesota’s law, the problems he sees it posing to North Dakota law enforcement and the issue of the use of force by law enforcement in general.

All episodes of Plain Talk Live are also available on the Plain Talk podcast, which you can subscribe to by way of your favorite podcasting service.