State, safety officials announce efforts to fight violent crime

Thursday, Gov. Tim Walz highlighted efforts to fight violent crime in Minnesota.

According to his office, he toured the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) headquarters in St. Paul Thursday morning.

He was joined by members from the BCA and the Department of Public Safety.

KSTP Chief Political Reporter Tom Hauser reported that during the tour, Walz reiterated his proposal for $300 million to go toward new public safety funding.

Gov. Tim Walz is touring BCA crime lab to see how they investigate the alarming increase in shootings in the Twin Cities. Walz says it’s why he proposed $300 million for new public safety funding that stalled when lawmakers couldn’t reach consensus at end of legislative session. pic.twitter.com/xHTlJw7tHV

— Tom Hauser (@thauserkstp) July 21, 2022

As previously reported by 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, the event was originally scheduled to be held last Thursday, but it was postponed. The state didn’t provide a reason as to why the event was postponed.

Meanwhile, Walz’s likely opponent in the November election, Scott Jensen, will be at a meet-and-greet event Thursday in Spicer, Minnesota.

The Republican candidate previously released his plan to address crime, which included harsher penalties for repeat offenders, and making carjacking a specific crime.

This article will be updated, check back for updates.