Minnesota County Attorneys Association votes to have attorney general prosecute all officer-involved death cases

The Minnesota County Attorneys Association voted Thursday to give prosecutorial jurisdiction of all officer-involved death cases to the Attorney General's Office.

According to a release from the MCAA, an organization that represents all 87 Minnesota county attorneys, they have voted to hand all officer-involved death cases occurring in their jurisdictions to the Attorney General's Office.

While they have had conflict of interest in certain cases involving officers, they do not believe that there is an inherent conflict of interest in all officer-involved cases. However, in recognition of the importance of ensuring everyone has faith in the process, they voted to hand over jurisdiction.

Along with handing over jurisdiction, the MCAA also voted to encourage the Minnesota legislature to provide additional resources to the Attorney General's Office to help the office secure the best and brightest trial lawyers in critical cases such as those involving officers. It also supported a special investigative unit within the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to independently investigate all cases, unless the officer involved is a BCA agent.

The release added, "The offices of the Attorney General and BCA are in the best position to bring consistency and uniformity to the investigation and prosecution of any officer-involved incidents which result in death in our state."