It’s not only big people that get into trouble with the law; sometimes our kids break the law and can get charged. Charges can vary from a petty misdemeanor up to a felony. When the police are investigating a crime involving a juvenile, there is a common misperception that a parent must be present when a child is interrogated. That’s...
The short answer is—sometimes. There are three general circumstances when lying to the police is considered a crime in Minnesota: Lying about your identity; Filing a false police report or lying about police misconduct; and Lying under oath (perjury). Lying About your Identity In Minnesota, it is a misdemeanor to give a fictitious name, date of birth, or identification card...
Have you ever been watching a legal thriller and thought, “that can’t be right…”? If so, it’s probably because you were on to something: it’s not. Many legal dramas subvert the actual rules in the name of drama. Here are just a few of the many inaccurate representations of the criminal justice system in popular legal dramas. Judges are not...
Minnesota will be progressively expanding fog line widths from 4 to 6 inches as the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) completes routine construction projects. MnDOT said they are widening fog lines to try to reduce crashes, injuries, and deaths. But can you get pulled over for crossing these fog lines? Simply put, yes. In Minnesota, a police officer can pull...
On April 11, 2021, during a traffic stop, Brooklyn Center Police Officer Kim Potter grabbed what she thought was her taser and fired it. Tragically, she had grabbed her gun instead of a taser and shot Daunte Wright, killing him. Potter was charged with, and convicted of, first- and second-degree manslaughter. Under Minnesota law, when a defendant is convicted of...
With the death of Amir Locke, no-knock warrants have once again been in the media spotlight. Critiques of no-knock warrants primarily center around the perceived danger in carrying out the warrants, both to the individuals listed in the warrants and the officers involved. But what is a no-knock warrant? Minnesota Stat. 626.14 defines a no-knock warrant as a search warrant...
Fingerprinting laws are different for adults and juveniles. For juveniles, fingerprinting is required under Minnesota law if the child is arrested for, appearing in court on a charge of, adjudicated delinquent for, or alleged to have committed a felony or gross misdemeanor. Juveniles admitted to jails or detention facilities or referred by a law enforcement agency to a diversion program...
Generally speaking, there are timelines outlined by law governing when criminal offenses can be charged by the State of Minnesota. Those timelines are called the “statute of limitations” and they start running once the crime itself occurs. Crimes may have no statute of limitations or a statute of limitations of six, five, or three years. Any crime that has not...
We hear people talk about getting fingerprinted for a variety of reasons. But where do these fingerprints go? And when does someone need to get fingerprinted? Fingerprinting data is sent to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA). The BCA compiles fingerprints and other identification data into a criminal database to facilitate connecting individuals to crimes. Fingerprinting data will stay within...
Generally speaking, there are timelines outlined by law governing when criminal offenses can be charged by the State of Minnesota. Those timelines are called the “statute of limitations” and they start running once the crime itself occurs. Crimes may have no statute of limitations or a statute of limitations of six, five, or three years. See Part 1 of this...
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