Good morning, and welcome to Tuesday. 

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has chosen a Hennepin County judge to lead the city’s community safety department. MPR’s Matt Sepic reports: Frey has tapped Toddrick Barnette, currently Hennepin County’s chief judge, to be the city’s next community safety commissioner. Barnette is a “rare talent” who has the public safety and managerial experience to lead the agency, Frey told reporters Monday as he announced his pick to replace Cedric Alexander, who resigned after less than a year in the newly-created position that combines five departments, including Minneapolis police. The Minneapolis City Council must approve the selection. Frey noted that prior to becoming a county judge, Barnette worked as a public defender and a prosecutor, giving him experience with crime victims and offenders. As chief judge, he’s overseen the work of more than 60 judges and 550 employees. Barnette said he was eager to work with Minneapolis residents, city and regional leaders to remake public safety, but added there was “no quick fix” to the problems. Asked why he would leave the bench for this job, he said he saw this as an opportunity. “It’s not just talk anymore. In Minneapolis, it’s about action and moving things forward,” he said. “Reimagining public safety got me excited.”

Violent crime dropped in Minnesota in 2022, according to the latest figures from the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Violent crime dropped by 8.6 percent in Minnesota last year compared to 2021, with a drop of 12.9 percent in greater Minnesota and 6.9 percent in the seven county metro area, according to the BCA’s uniform crime report issued Monday. Some property crimes increased. Motor vehicle theft rose 12.9 percent with 16,743 vehicles stolen. That’s the highest level since 2001. Carjackings, which are not counted as car thefts, decreased 23.2 percent with 598 incidents in 2022, compared with 779 in 2021. The Star Tribune notes the violent crime numbers, while dropping, are still higher than 2019 levels. 

There’s been a data breach at the state government level. KSTP reports:  The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development sent letters to an unspecified number of people who use an agency website to help find jobs who might have had some personal information accessed by an unauthorized user. “The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) respects and values the privacy of jobseekers’ personal information,” DEED said in a statement. “A recent data security incident may have resulted in unauthorized access of jobseekers’ contact information such as physical addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers. DEED immediately revoked the unauthorized access on the MinnesotaWorks.net website. DEED also notified jobseekers about the incident and steps they can take to protect their private information.” DEED also said it took immediate steps to make security technology upgrades to “prevent future data incidents.” 

Gov. Tim Walz has set the date for a special election to fill the seat of former state Rep. Ruth Richardson. MPR’s Dana Ferguson reports Walz said Monday that the special election to fill the House seat representing Dakota County would take place on Dec. 5, and a special primary election could be held Nov. 16 if multiple candidates from the same political party file. Candidates interested in running for the House seat will have one week to file their affidavits of candidacy and nominating petitions beginning on Wednesday. Richardson stepped down earlier this month after representing the district since 2019, saying she wants to focus on her role leading Planned Parenthood North Central States. Three potential candidates have already expressed an interest in running — Cynthia Callais, Carl Yaeger and Jay Miller. 

Minnesota’s new law intended to curb election-related disinformation is the target of a federal lawsuit. MPR’s Brian Bakst reports that since June, Minnesota has had a law making it illegal to knowingly deceive about the time, place and manner of elections or about a person’s eligibility to vote. If that happens within two months of an election, it can be grounds for civil and criminal penalties. Members of the group Minnesota Voters Alliance contend it’s a violation of free speech. They want a federal court to invalidate the law. The same group previously sued in state court over another new law that gives thousands of people with felony pasts a quicker route back to the ballot box. They’re now eligible to vote as long as they’re not incarcerated. In the latest case, the plaintiffs argue that pushing back publicly against the legitimacy of the voting rights law makes them vulnerable to actions under the election disinformation law. Resolution of both cases could take months.

And some sad news. Karen Boros has died. She was a TV journalist at WCCO and CBS, and worked for a time at MPR News. She also taught for many years at the University of St. Thomas. She was 82. I shared an office with her for a few years at the Capitol. She was a wonderful person.