Hennepin County Attorney’s Office Investigating 17 Incidents Involving Federal Agents
- Rebecca Gilbuena
- 8 minutes ago
- 2 min read
The Hennepin County Attorney's Office announced a new initiative to investigate alleged unlawful conduct by federal agents during Operation Metro Surge, launching an online portal for witnesses to submit evidence and accounts.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said the effort, called the Transparency and Accountability Project, or TAP, will “identify, investigate, and, if appropriate, pursue accountability for potential unlawful behavior by federal agents in Hennepin County.”
“It is staffed by prosecutors and a civilian investigator from our office,” Moriarty said during a press conference. “As part of this project, we are actively investigating 17 incidents that have been brought to our attention by the community.”
Moriarty said some victims and witnesses fear retaliation and do not want to be publicly identified, limiting what her office can disclose. But she highlighted two incidents for which investigators are seeking additional information from the public.
The first involves Greg Bovino, a commander with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and other agents using force against observers and members of the press near Mueller Park on Jan. 21 at about 2 p.m.
The second concerns use of force by ICE and CBP agents against staff and students at Roosevelt High School on Jan. 7 at approximately 3:30 p.m., just hours after ICE agent Jonathan Ross killed Renee Good in the same neighborhood.
“We are now opening a new portal for community members to share photos and video on any incidents that may involve potentially unlawful conduct by federal agents,” Moriarty said. “Through our new submission form, community members can also describe incidents they experienced, or witnessed, even if they do not have photos or videos to share. There are many victims whose stories need to be told.”
Moriarty said her office is not receiving additional staffing for TAP and is reallocating existing personnel to handle the work. Investigators are in the process of identifying witnesses, determining what records are needed and coordinating with the BCA.
Moriarty framed TAP as part of a broader effort to address what she called “immeasurable harm” caused by Operation Metro Surge.
“Our community deserves transparency and accountability,” she said. “TAP is a critical part of our effort to ensure that happens.”
The new TAP portal replaces a previous submission site used to gather evidence in the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Moriarty said that portal received more than 1,000 submissions and has “run its course.”
“We feel pretty good about the idea that we’ve probably gotten everything that’s out there at the moment, and the BCA is following up on that,” she said.