Hennepin County voters will see a familiar matchup for sheriff on Nov. 3. Incumbent Dawanna Witt, who has run the office since January 2023, faces Joseph Banks again. She beat him in the 2022 general election. The 2 met Sept. 16 at Golden Valley City Hall for a forum hosted by the League of Women Voters.
The candidates have very different backgrounds. Witt grew up in south Minneapolis and started out in substance abuse treatment and family therapy. She took a job as a detention deputy in the Hennepin County jail in 2000, moved up to captain at the Dakota County Sheriff's Office, and came back in 2019 to run the jail. She is the first woman and the first person of color to serve as Hennepin County sheriff. Banks says he has more than 20 years in law enforcement. He has been police chief in Upper Sioux and Morton, and chief investigator and acting chief for the Lower Sioux Police Department. He also served in the Marine Corps Reserve and the Minnesota Army National Guard.
On gun violence, Banks said the job is tracking where firearms come from, and he wants the ATF held accountable for finding where guns originate and following how they move. Witt pointed to her testimony at the Legislature for safe storage laws. She also described work with other agencies to trace guns and to keep investigations going after guns are taken off the street.
The clearest split came over Flock cameras, the automated license plate readers now common on suburban streets. Banks worried they could be abused and could violate the Fourth Amendment by searching data without good reason. Witt backed accountability rules for the people who use the technology. She cited a case where Flock helped stop a stabbing in progress, while saying she respects residents' privacy concerns.
The candidates also disagreed about body camera footage involving undercover staff. Banks wants footage released right away and said transparency should outweigh protections for undercover status. Witt, whose background is in investigations, argued for slower release so victims are protected and cases aren't damaged.
On immigration, they mostly agree. Banks said the sheriff shouldn't do immigration enforcement, but he wants federal agents watched to make sure they stay within the law. Witt said her office doesn't do immigration enforcement and won't honor federal detainers because it lacks the legal authority. She said that position has brought her threats and federal lawsuits.
The jail came up too. Banks co-founded a recovery organization and proposed peer mentors who would stay with people after release to connect them to treatment and housing. Witt cited the 1115 waiver, which lets Medicaid cover services for people leaving incarceration, and said the jail already offers medication for opioid use disorder and access to naloxone. Outside the forum, Banks has also called for more jail staff, an end to forced overtime, and a citizen commission to review jail practices. Witt's campaign says the office has hired more than 100 deputies.
To build trust, Banks wants a sheriff who shows up regularly in every part of the county. He said some residents don't know who their sheriff is or what help is available. Witt pointed to her community outreach teams working in each Hennepin County community. The office is nonpartisan and carries a 4-year term. If you missed the forum, the full recording is posted on CCX Media's forum page.
