Twin Cities Law Enforcement Agencies Receive National Terrorism Prevention Award

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday that it, in partnership with the Minneapolis and St. Paul Police Departments, was awarded the Outstanding Achievement in the Prevention of Terrorism Award during a ceremony in San Diego on Sunday. The award, given by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), was presented to Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek, members of the HCSO Community Engagement Team, and representatives from the Minneapolis and Saint Paul police by FBI Director James Comey during IACP’s annual conference.

“It’s wonderful to receive recognition for our work, and I’m especially pleased that our strategies for outreach, as well as those from Minneapolis and St. Paul, will be shared through IACP with other local law enforcement agencies,” said Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek in a statement.

“But make no mistake, our work in preventing terrorism in the U.S. is just beginning. It can no longer be a surprise that we have radicalization and recruiting going on in our communities every day, as I have often said, 'It can and does happen here.' The need for this work is more urgent than ever.”

The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office submitted the joint agency application which highlighted the community engagement efforts of all three agencies, which began in 2008. Preventing future threats has become a strategic priority for all three agencies, and community engagement has become their front-line defense for countering violent extremism, according to a news release.

Two awards, one to a U.S. and one to an international law enforcement agency, are given annually by IACP to law enforcement agencies that demonstrate overall success in averting, stopping, or countering terrorist activity.

Photo via Hennepin County Sheriff's Office.