Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt's defends overtime costs during Operation Metro Surge

The department's overtime costs totaled $1.3 million in January, which was $860,000 over budget.

Witt explained to WCCO Radio's Adam and Jordana they didn't have a choice.

"To know that the last three years my overtime budget has been decreased even though we're trying to make sure that we are getting our communities in a safer way," she said. "I don't have the option of saying no. We are going to show up and we must do that, and we must be compensated accordingly for that."

Total expenses for the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office in January were $17.5 million, which is $2.3 million over the budget for the month.

The Sheriff also defended her department from accusations they were cooperating with White House Border Czar Tom Homan, and changing policies at the request of the Trump administration. She said they discussed several different policies, but didn't make any tangible change.

"I was not one of the people who changed my policies and practices," says Sheriff Witt. "And I think it's very important for people to know that. And I think it's also important for people to know that we are adults, and we have to have these conversations with people. We have to be able to clear up any discrepancies or to find out where the differences are."

Witt adds that there are still federal immigration agents in the Twin Cities, and there have always been agents in the Twin Cities, but believes the bulk of Operation Metro Surge has effectively ended.

Still, there are protests happening at the Whipple Federal Building at Fort Snelling, which was the staging area for ICE during the surge. Witt says even though those protests are far less, they are still involved, saying they are not arresting any peaceful protesters, but anything that crosses that line will be handled by her department.

You can listen to Sheriff Witt's entire interview with WCCO Radio here: