Dawanna Witt
TLDR: Dawanna Witt was elected Hennepin County Sheriff in November 2022 and sworn in on Jan. 3, 2023; she is the first woman and first person of color to hold the office. Born in Chicago and raised in Minneapolis, she studied chemical dependency and family therapy and was hired as a Hennepin County detention deputy in 2000. In 2004 she joined the Dakota County Sheriff's Office as a licensed deputy and became that agency's first female captain. She returned to Hennepin County in 2019 to run the Adult Detention and Court Services bureau, which oversees the jail and court security.
Dawanna WittNonpartisan, incumbent- Running for
- Hennepin County Sheriff
- Now
- Hennepin County Sheriff (since January 2023)
- Work
- Hennepin County Sheriff
- Background
- Hired as a Hennepin County detention deputy in 2000 hennepinsheriff.org
- Dakota County Sheriff's Office, 2004–2019: bailiff, school resource officer, detective, crisis negotiator; first woman in that agency to reach captain hennepinsheriff.org
- Returned to Hennepin County in September 2019 to lead the Adult Detention and Court Services bureau hennepinsheriff.org
- Police science degree and dual master's degrees in public safety administration and management hennepinsheriff.org
- Chair of the North Central High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) hennepinsheriff.org
- In office
- Elected sheriff Nov. 8, 2022, defeating Joseph Banks 64.0% to 35.4% electionresultsfiles.sos.mn.gov
- Sworn in Jan. 3, 2023, as the first woman and first person of color to hold the office hennepinsheriff.org
- 2025: office moved to a new Public Safety Services headquarters and added a second narcotics-detection K-9 team in the jail (campaign account) sheriffwitt.org
- Website
- sheriffwitt.org
- [email protected]
- Raised
- $48,179 in 2026 (plus $18,460 in 2025), $55,515 on hand www16.co.hennepin.mn.us
- Interviews
- Sun Current
- Also running
- Joseph Banks (Nonpartisan)
Q: Where does Witt stand on violent crime?
A: Pledges to reduce violent and property crime "through strategic, data-driven partnerships with law enforcement agencies, public health organizations, and community groups."
sheriffwitt.orgQ: Where does Witt stand on violent crime?
A: Her campaign says the office supported the auto theft task force with analysts to track carjacking trends and identify suspects.
sheriffwitt.orgQ: Where does Witt stand on jail?
A: Points to expanded jail programming for rehabilitation, life skills and reentry, and to real-time electronic logging of welfare checks on people in custody.
sheriffwitt.orgQ: Where does Witt stand on staffing?
A: Says she has tackled staffing shortages "head-on"; her campaign cites more than 100 deputies hired and 173 new employees hired agency-wide in 2025.
sheriffwitt.orgQ: Where does Witt stand on immigration enforcement?
A: Eden Prairie Local News reports that she, like Banks, opposes the sheriff's office doing immigration enforcement on its own while supporting cooperation with federal law enforcement.
eplocalnews.orgQ: Where does Witt stand on transparency and accountability?
A: Promises "operational transparency and public reporting" and community oversight and partnership structures.
sheriffwitt.orgQ: Where does Witt stand on suburbs and patrol?
A: "The Hennepin County Sheriff represents all of Hennepin County... we work to utilize our limited resources to effectively address public safety concerns."
hometownsource.comQ: Where does Witt stand on most pressing issue?
A: "Trust between law enforcement and residents is among the most pressing issues we face"; also names the opioid epidemic, drug trafficking and human trafficking.
hometownsource.com
