Crime & Safety

Dakota County Juvenile Crime Decreases in 2011, Mendota Heights Stats Remain Low

Statistics released by the county attorney indicate an overall drop in juvenile crime.

Juvenile crime in Dakota County appears to be on the decline, according to a news release from the office of Dakota County Attorney James C. Backstrom.

Numbers for juvenile crime in Mendota Heights remain the lowest overall among Dakota County cities.

The total number of juvenile offenders (age 10-17) charged with crimes in Dakota County decreased by almost 8 percent last year, dropping from 1,445 in 2010 to 1,334 in 2011.

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“It is a good sign that the number of youth charged with a crime in our community continues to drop,” said Backstrom, in the release.

This is the ninth consecutive year Dakota County has experienced a decrease in the overall number of juveniles prosecuted for criminal acts.

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In Mendota Heights, 30 juveniles were charged with crimes in 2010. There were 29 charged last year.

Twenty-four of those offenders were charged with 29 misdemeanors or petty misdemeanors in Mendota Heights—14 of those charges were for disorderly conduct.

That’s the lowest number of non-gross misdemeanors of Dakota County cities. The highest in this category was in Apple Valley, where 172 offenders were charged. West St. Paul had 67 individuals charged, and Eagan had 136.

Police Chief Mike Aschenbrener said that most of the disorderly conduct charges would be related to activity at the three high schools. These types of crimes usually result in a citation (ticket), said the chief.

Mendota Heights tallied zero gross misdemeanors in 2011.

Countywide Violence Up

Countywide, charges for violent juvenile offenses increased. In 2010, there were 320 such charges. In 2011, there were 383 charges, an almost 20 percent increase.

In Mendota Heights, only one charge was considered a violent felony offense.

Felonies Down

Dakota County experienced a decrease in the number of juveniles charged with felonies overall. In 2010, 203 juveniles were charged with felonies. In 2011, 192 were charged. This is a drastic drop in felony charges from 2001, where 420 juveniles were charged.

Five offenders were charged with felonies in Mendota Heights— slightly higher than the number charged in West St. Paul, where there were three felony offenders charged, but dramatically lower than in Eagan, where 23 felony offenders were charged.

Backstrom credits county prevention and early intervention programs for the felony decrease. These programs, which are coordinated by the Dakota County Attorney’s Office, include youth accountability programs for first time offenders and more intense programming for second-time users of alcohol or marijuana. The programs include activities such as community service work and writing letters of apology.

Anti-Bullying Education in Schools

The county attorney’s office is also presenting an Anti-Bullying Initiative. So far, the initiative has been presented to over 15,500 students, staff and parents.

“Educating students on the potential dangers of bullying, harassing or aggressive behaviors, and the dangers associated with ‘sexting’ and how this conduct could lead to criminal charges is important in our efforts to keep our kids safe,” said Backstrom, in his statement.


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