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With extra DWI enforcement, drivers should know their rights

According to figures from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Office of Traffic Safety, roughly 160 drivers across the state were arrested. on May 10, 2013, on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Roughly 80 of the arrests were made in the Twin Cities.

Twin Cities police departments using social media to fight crime

In an era of smartphones and social media accounts, nearly any person is able to say what is on his or her mind at any time. They can tweet or post status updates while they are out with friends, or when they are waiting in line at the grocery store. People are seemingly always connected, and always willing to share their experiences online.

Expungement of juvenile records issue in recent court case

A lot of people make mistakes when they are teenagers. Some of these mistakes may even lead to criminal charges for juveniles. While it might seem like a minor issue at the time, a conviction in one of these matters could lead to life-long complications. A recent Minnesota Supreme Court case highlights the problems that have resulted due to having a criminal record as a juvenile.

US Supreme Court issues decision in case involving drug-sniffing dogs

Protecting the right of people to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures is at the heart of the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution. Minnesota mirrors the protections of the Fourth Amendment in article I, section 10 of the state constitution. State and federal courts frequently must decide if evidence seized by law enforcement officers and used to prove criminal charges violates the Minnesota and federal constitutional protections.

Senators Want DUI Applications Removed From Smartphones

In March, four Democratic U.S. Senators, Harry Reid, D-Utah, Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., and Tom Udall, D-N.M., drafted a letter requesting that Apple, Google and Research in Motion (or RIM) eliminate the applications (user-friendly computer programs for specific tasks) on mobile communication devices that warn drivers of the locations of drunk-driving checkpoints.

Minnesota legislators reconsider sex offender program in 2013

The Minnesota Sex Offender Program confines and treats high-risk offenders after they have completed their prison sentences. Politics in Minnesota reports that the state has the highest per-capita rate of civil commitments in the country, with more than 650 men currently enrolled in the program. Only two individuals have been discharged from the program over the past two decades. According to The Mankato Free Press, sex offenders are confined to high-security treatment facilities at an annual cost of approximately $120,000 per offender.