The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension reports that crime in Minnesota is down in almost every category, yet Republicans continue their fear-based messaging completely detached from fact.
In 2022, Rep. Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn sponsored the only supplemental public safety funding that passed a divided legislature — over half a million dollar, bipartisan investment in the automobile theft prevention library.
In 2023, the public safety package passed by the DFL House and Senate and signed by Gov. Walz includes gun violence prevention measures, funding to assist crime victims, juvenile justice reform, measures for rehabilitation and reducing recidivism, recruitment initiatives, measures to eliminate racial disparities and more.
Rep. Kotyza-Witthuhn voted to increase funding to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) to help local jurisdictions respond to and investigate crime and for funding to more forensic scientists at the BCA to reduce evidence processing backlogs to ensure that criminals are held accountable in a timely fashion.
She actively listens to the concerns of Eden Prairie residents and voted to address the rise in carjackings and catalytic converter thefts by establishing new crimes for both. Carjackings have now gone down by 37.8% and catalytic converter theft is down a whopping 74%.
As a mom of four young children, Rep. Kotyza-Witthuhn knows firsthand the concerns that Eden Prairie parents have about their kids being safe at school and throughout our community. When gun violence became the leading cause of death for children in the U.S., she and the DFL took immediate action to reduce gun violence, implementing expanded criminal background checks, a red flag law which will provide an opportunity to temporarily remove firearms from someone who has proven to be a threat to themselves or others, and increased penalties on straw purchasers. She is a Moms Demand Action Gun Sense candidate and is endorsed by Everytown for Gun Safety.
The proof is in the pudding: Rep. Kotyza-Witthuhn and her DFL colleagues are making fiscal and policy improvements to support our law enforcement officers and first responders to help keep us safe. Let’s send her back to the Capitol to continue this important work.
Saoudy A. Saoudy, Eden Prairie
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