BACKGROUND
Jack Serier is the incumbent Ramsey County Sheriff and has served since 2017 when he was appointed to fill the seat when it was vacated. Prior to being sheriff, Serier was Ramsey County Sheriff’s chief deputy, undersheriff of the Public Safety Services Division, inspector in the policy development, and manager of the Water Patrol, Dive Team and the Canine Unit. Serier spent 12 years as an officer in the Stillwater, Eagan and St. Paul Police Departments.
Serier holds a bachelor’s degree from Hamline and a master’s in education and doctorate in leadership, policy, and administration from the University of St. Thomas. He is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia. Serier serves as an assistant professor at St. Mary’s University, adjunct faculty at the University of St. Thomas, and as an instructor for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s management program.
He has two adult children and lives with his wife in East St. Paul.
ISSUES
“In February, five Ramsey County law enforcement officials kept calm while a man threatened them in what could have become a deadly situation. On Wednesday, Ramsey County Sheriff Jack Serier gave those five awards for their ‘integrity and bravery.’”
Source: Pioneer Press, 7/20/17
Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office “pulled out of a training that activists say teaches officers to act fearfully and aggressively.” The Deputy called the training not in line with the office’s “core values” and “hurtful to some of the people we serve.”
Source: MPR News, 5/15/18
Following the killing of Philando Castile by a St. Anthony police officer, the City Falcon Heights discontinued its contract with St. Anthony and opted for a law enforcement contract with the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, which began focusing on building community relationships in Falcon Heights.
Source: Star Tribune, 5/24/18
“Serier said his department does not work directly with Immigration Customs and Enforcement – ‘Our job is state law’ – though the jail can serve as a pass-through point for people who have an ICE case status.”
Source: LillieNews, 10/9/17
“Serier also said some people in his jail who are there for a state crime may also have an ICE case status. Asked if his sheriff’s deputies inquired about immigration status, Serier said, ‘We do not ask about citizenship.’”
Source: LillieNews, 10/9/1
“In 2017, with great cooperation from the Ramsey County Board, we achieved clearance to hire the greatest number of personnel in the history of the long-understaffed Adult Detention Center; our primary jail. Ahead of schedule, our agency hired, trained, and deployed over 30 new employees into the facility. Our current staff has done tremendous work to meet the challenges of being understaffed for the size of the facility and I continue to applaud them for it. As I promised, the Adult Detention Center reached full staffing levels in December 2017 and continues to be fully staffed.”
Source: Candidate’s website
Supports “universal criminal-background checks and gun violence protection orders, which allow courts to temporarily remove weapons from individuals deemed to pose a danger to themselves or others.”
Source: Star Tribune Editorial Board, 5/16/18
On building community-police trust: “It’s that one-on-one interaction between an officer – in our case, a deputy – and a citizen who’s a victim or a witness of a crime … No matter how small or large that crime was, that aftercare of the individual is the first step towards building police/community relations.”
Source: MPR News, 11/14/17
“Serier noted his accomplishments since becoming sheriff last year: More than half of the new correctional officer and deputy hires have been people of color and women, and the office has its first female chief deputy and a black undersheriff.”
Source: Star Tribune, 6/6/18
Created a Women’s Academy crash course in law enforcement to bring more women into law enforcement.
Source: Kare 11 News, 6/13/18
“I’ve now created a correctional facility where the majority of the people working in the facility are women and people of color.”
Source: Candidate’s website
“In addition, I promoted the first female Chief Deputy in the history of the agency, promoted an African American Undersheriff, and four other women to top-level administrative positions. I am fully committed to the racial and gender diversity I first committed to when I became Sheriff. While continuing our character-based hiring model, I have been able to achieve a diversity record in promotions and new hires never before seen in the history of this Sheriff’s Office.”
Source: Candidate’s website
