Hennepin County Sheriff
TLDR: Dawanna Witt is running for another term against Joseph Banks. The winner serves a 4-year term, and every Bloomington voter has it on their ballot.
Dawanna WittNonpartisan, incumbent- 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
- Raised
- $48,179 in 2026 (plus $18,460 in 2025), $55,515 on hand www16.co.hennepin.mn.us
Joseph BanksNonpartisan- Work
- Law enforcement officer (former police chief)
- Background
- Lower Sioux Police Department from 2005; later chief investigator and acting police chief there hometownsource.com
- Former police chief, Upper Sioux Police Department and city of Morton eplocalnews.org
- Marine Corps Reserve and Minnesota Army National Guard service eplocalnews.org
- 2022 candidate for Hennepin County Sheriff: 22.5% in the August primary electionresultsfiles.sos.mn.gov
- Lost the 2022 general election to Witt, 35.4% to 64.0% electionresultsfiles.sos.mn.gov
- Raised
- $9,948 in 2026 (amended pre-primary report), $466 on hand www16.co.hennepin.mn.us
Q: Where do they stand on violent crime?
Witt: Pledges to reduce violent and property crime "through strategic, data-driven partnerships with law enforcement agencies, public health organizations, and community groups." sheriffwitt.org
Witt: Her campaign says the office supported the auto theft task force with analysts to track carjacking trends and identify suspects. sheriffwitt.org
Banks: Says "violent crime continues to impact too many neighborhoods" and pledges to use "data-driven strategies and strong partnerships with local agencies to drive down violent crime with measurable results." banks4sheriff.com
Q: Where do they stand on jail?
Witt: 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.org
Banks: Calls for more jail staff, an end to forced overtime, a citizen oversight commission, more transparency for families about in-custody deaths, and a dedicated mental health space staffed by doctors. eplocalnews.org
Banks: Would "shorten the book-and-release time to one to two hours; currently it is four to six hours"; would keep the HOPE education program. eplocalnews.org
Q: Where do they stand on staffing?
Witt: 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.org
Banks: Proposes hiring from the community, grant funding, clearer career paths, staff wellness checks, and involving lower-ranking staff in improvements. eplocalnews.org
Q: Where do they stand on immigration enforcement?
Witt: 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.org
Banks: "We support our federal law enforcement partners," but says the sheriff's role is public safety, not immigration enforcement. eplocalnews.org
Q: Where do they stand on transparency and accountability?
Witt: Promises "operational transparency and public reporting" and community oversight and partnership structures. sheriffwitt.org
Banks: Says body camera footage should be handled "with the utmost care" but "given to the community for complete transparency upon request"; promises "faster investigations, clearer communication, and public reporting." eplocalnews.org
Q: Where do they stand on suburbs and patrol?
Witt: "The Hennepin County Sheriff represents all of Hennepin County... we work to utilize our limited resources to effectively address public safety concerns." hometownsource.com
Banks: Would hire more patrol deputies "so that the sheriff is more visible" and keep mutual-aid agreements with suburban police; would balance suburban and urban needs "by hiring more deputies and not billing communities for services." eplocalnews.org
