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Rich Stanek
Sheriff of Hennepin County
In office
January 1, 2007 – January 7, 2019
Preceded byPatrick D. McGowan
Succeeded byDave Hutchinson
Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety
In office
January 30, 2003 – April 16, 2004
GovernorTim Pawlenty
Preceded byCharlie Weaver
Succeeded byMichael Campion
Member of the
Minnesota House of Representatives
In office
March 13, 1995 – January 30, 2003
Preceded byWarren Limmer
Succeeded byKurt Zellers
ConstituencyDistrict 33B (1995-2003)
District 32B (2003)
Personal details
Born (1962-02-02) February 2, 1962 (age 62)
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseSally Stanek
Children2
EducationUniversity of Minnesota (BA)
Hamline University (MPA)

Richard W. "Rich" Stanek (born February 2, 1962) is an American politician and former law enforcement officer who served as the sheriff of the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office from 2007 to 2019.

Prior to serving as sheriff, Stanek served from 1986 to 2006 as a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Stanek served from 1995 to 2003 in the Minnesota House of Representatives. He also served from 2003 to 2004 as Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety under then-Governor of Minnesota Tim Pawlenty. In 2018, he lost his close bid for re-election as Hennepin County sheriff to newcomer David Hutchinson by just over 2,000 votes.

Stanek was a candidate for the Republican Party's nomination for governor of Minnesota in the 2022 election.

Early life and education

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Stanek was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota.[1] He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in criminal justice from the University of Minnesota and a Master of Public Administration from Hamline University.[1]

Career

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Police service

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Stanek began his career in the Minneapolis Police Department in 1986 as a patrol officer.[2][3] He rose in the ranks, serving as Second Precinct commander,[3] and eventually commander of criminal investigations.[2]

Minnesota House of Representatives

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While serving as a police officer, Stanek served five terms in the Minnesota State Legislature.[2] He was first elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in a 1995 special election to replace Warren Limmer, who had left the House for the Minnesota Senate. Stanek was elected, and represented Maple Grove, Minnesota until 2003. He served as chair of the Crime Prevention committee from 1999–2001, and the chair of the Judiciary Finance committee from 2001-2003.[1]

While in the legislature, Stanek wrote the Minnesota's felony DWI statute.[2] Stanek also introduced many bills related to law enforcement, including legislation "requiring a driver's license revocation for anyone convicted of fleeing a police officer; allowing for a verdict of "guilty but mentally ill" in state courts; creating a mandatory life sentence for a second violent felony conviction; ... [and] specifying that an officer's 'use of less lethal munitions does not constitute deadly force.'"[3] Stanek also sought funding for CODEFOR, a computerized crime-tracking system.[3]

Department of Public Safety

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In 2003, Stanek was appointed by Tim Pawlenty to serve as commissioner of public safety and director of homeland security. He resigned his seat in the Minnesota House of Representatives to assume the position and served until April 2004, when his involvement in a 1989 incident involving an alleged assault and racial slurs by Stanek created controversy.[4]

Hennepin County sheriff

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Stanek was elected Sheriff in 2006, replacing former Sheriff Pat McGowan. Sworn in on January 1, 2007, Stanek was re-elected in 2010 and again in 2014.[2] In all three elections, Stanek was supported by some members of the African American community, who cited Stanek's willingness to admit to past mistakes, and his work with African American officers in the Minneapolis police department.[3] In 2018, he lost his reelection bid to Dave Hutchinson by around 2,400 votes.[5] His term ended January 7, 2019.[6]

Stanek was on the executive committee of the National Sheriffs Association, serving as vice president.[7][8]

Controversies

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35W bridge collapse video controversy

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In 2007 Mayor R.T. Rybak and Minneapolis police chief Tim Dolan criticized Stanek for providing false information in the 26-minute video on the collapse of the I-35W Mississippi River bridge and for taking credit for actions that weren't his responsibility.[9] The $30,000 film was funded with forfeited money earmarked for training. "His theft of the credit is not going to sit well with my staff and our hard working partners," Minneapolis police chief Tim Dolan said in an e-mail. The St. Cloud company that produced the video was the same company that handled advertising and marketing for Stanek's campaign in 2006.[10]

Retaliation

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Rich Stanek in 2014

Melissa Hill, who ran a campaign against Stanek under the slogan "Kitten for Sheriff"[11] was awarded $15,000 in a federal civil rights settlement against Hennepin County.[12][13] Hennepin County paid $15,000 to Melissa Hill for allegedly trespassing at Occupy Minneapolis. Hill's attorney Jordan Kushner said that "She was arrested and put in jail for no reason but for retaliation by the sheriff for being a political activist" and that Hill saw Stanek watching her from his SUV before she was arrested. He argued that both her original trespass order and arrest were unconstitutional. Hill was a legal observer for the National Lawyers Guild at that time of the arrest. "I feel I was vindicated," said Hill. "I was arrested on a public sidewalk. This sends a strong message that they can't be misusing their trespass policy to suppress free speech."[12]

Budget

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In 2010 after his re-election Stanek was involved in a conflict with the County Board of Commissioners over his budget. The conflict, arising as the budget season kicked in, highlighted the divisions among powerful elected officials who have different views of the county's priorities at a time when budgets are being frozen and services cut. Stanek "advocates for a larger role for the Hennepin County sheriff, and he wants to be held harmless from any budget cuts," Board Chair Mike Opat said. "But public safety is done by a lot of people, not only the sheriff. The sheriff is not the generalissimo of Hennepin County."[14]

Standing Rock, North Dakota

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In October 2016, Stanek sent Hennepin County deputies and equipment to North Dakota to assist law enforcement efforts there to suppress the Dakota Access Pipeline protests at the Standing Rock Indian Reservation.[15] The personnel sharing, under the auspices of the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, sparked protests and was met with criticism from Minneapolis City Council member Alondra Cano, state Senator Patricia Torres Ray, state Representative Peggy Flanagan, and Clyde Bellecourt.[16]

2022 gubernatorial campaign

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Stanek is a candidate for the Republican Party's nomination for governor of Minnesota in the 2022 election.[17] He was one of six Republican candidates who sought the party's nomination to challenge incumbent Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party Governor Tim Walz.[17] He joined the race late, and suffered a serious car accident several weeks before the Minnesota Republican Party's endorsing convention in May 2022.[17] Sidelined by his injuries, Stanek did not seek the party's endorsement at the convention, which went to former state Senator Scott Jensen instead.[18]

Personal life

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Stanek is married and has one son and one daughter.[1] He is Roman Catholic.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Stanek, Richard 'Rich' Archived 2011-08-28 at the Wayback Machine. Minnesota Legislative Reference Library.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Meet the Sheriff | Hennepin County Sheriff's Office". Archived from the original on 2016-07-14. Retrieved 2016-07-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). Hennepin County Sheriff's Office (retrieved July 14, 2016).
  3. ^ a b c d e Anderson, G.R. Jr. (November 1, 2006). "The Rehabilitation of Rich Stanek". City Pages. Archived from the original on 2010-09-29.
  4. ^ Scheck, Tom (16 April 2004). "MPR: Stanek resigns as public safety commissioner over racial slur controversy". Minnesota Public Radio. Archived from the original on 1 February 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  5. ^ Chanen, David (January 11, 2019). "Defeated Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek hints at possible run at his old job". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on February 3, 2019. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  6. ^ Lee, Jessica (January 9, 2019). "No, really, there's a new sheriff in town. This is what he did on his first day". MinnPost. Archived from the original on April 27, 2019. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  7. ^ "Executive Committee". Archived from the original on October 25, 2016. Retrieved March 28, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  8. ^ Brucato, Cyndy (June 8, 2016). "Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek sure sounds like he's going to run for governor". MinnPost. Archived from the original on October 27, 2016. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  9. ^ Kaszuba, Mike (December 15, 2007). "Some smell politics in Stanek's $30,000 training video". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on August 13, 2013.
  10. ^ Collins, Bob (December 20, 2007). "Stanek's training video". MPR News. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
  11. ^ Van Denburg, Hart (February 22, 2010). "Rich Stanek faces kitten competition for Hennepin County Sheriff". City Pages. Archived from the original on January 19, 2011.
  12. ^ a b Furst, Randy (February 1, 2012). "Occupy Minnesota protester gets $15K in trespass lawsuit". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on March 28, 2022. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
  13. ^ "Hill v. Stanek et al". Justia. December 7, 2011. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
  14. ^ Duchschere, Kevin (October 11, 2010). "Rich Stanek has bigger plans for Sheriff's Office". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on August 13, 2013.
  15. ^ McCardle, Ellery (2016-12-01). "Hennepin Co. sends deputies to ND pipeline protest". KARE. Archived from the original on 2022-03-28. Retrieved 2022-03-28.
  16. ^ Furst, Randy; Brunswick, Mark (October 26, 2016). "Protesters oppose Hennepin County deputies being sent to North Dakota protests". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on October 25, 2016. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  17. ^ a b c Briana Bierschbach (May 7, 2022). "Rich Stanek looks to law enforcement record for breakaway in Minnesota GOP governor field". Star Tribune.
  18. ^ Peter Callaghan & Walker Orenstein, Scott Jensen wins Republican endorsement for governor at dramatic state convention, MinnPost (May 14, 2022).
Minnesota House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
from the 33B district
1995–2003 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
from the 32B district
2003 		Succeeded by
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