There's some disagreement between the Chief of Police in Minneapolis and the Hennepin County Attorney when it comes to the arresting, and eventual prosecution, of juveniles.
After Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty made a suggestion earlier this week that Minneapolis police officers aren't doing enough to get cases involving violent carjackings in the city to her in order to charge, Chief Brian O'Hara fired back at the suggestion calling it a slap in the face.
"Any implication that the Minneapolis cops are not doing everything they can to try and solve that problem, not partnering with the people to try and address it, is just not true," said O'Hara.
Thursday on WCCO Radio, Moriarty responded to those comments. She says her office hasn't been able to charge many of the juveniles involved in recent violent carjackings because Minneapolis police haven't provided enough evidence.
"When the public hears about youth repeating crimes, we have to be looking at, are we getting cases to charge," Moriarty said. "And if not, we need to get better at it."
Moriarty tells WCCO's Blois Olson despite criticism from police O'Hara, there's nothing her office can do if they don't have a case.
"It's not anti-police to talk about clearance rates, it is the reality of what's happening in our community and frankly across the country," Moriarty says. "And to effectively address it, we all need to work together."
Moriariy also says she thinks the MPD is really struggling right now and it's incumbent on her office to try to help them and work with them.
She says she hasn't heard from Chief O'Hara since December and he won't return her calls and texts.
O'Hara says he supports diversion, but that many of these violent cases are not cases you can divert.
"I'm am all for diverting juveniles when appropriate," he says. "But that is not the problem we are dealing with right now. We need to do everything we can to get these violent juveniles arrested, charged, and off the street."