# Ramsey County Sheriff's Office *Sheriff's office of Ramsey County, Minnesota; fiscal agent of the Metro Gang Strike Force through December 31, 2008.* The Ramsey County Sheriff's Office is the sheriff's office of Ramsey County, [[Minnesota]].[^1] It was the fiscal agent of the [[Metro Gang Strike Force]] through December 31, 2008.[^2] The task force was the subject of two 2009 reviews. The [[Office of the Legislative Auditor (Minnesota)]] issued Special Review 09-18 on May 20, 2009.[^2] An independent review panel reported on August 20, 2009.[^3] The Legislative Auditor's review found four failures:[^2] - at least $18,126 in seized cash could not be accounted for; - fourteen vehicles could not be located; - seizure notices were never served in 202 of 545 cash seizures; - roughly $229,000 was retained that should have gone to the Attorney General's Office. The county's current published biography of the sheriff gives his tenure as "since 1994."[^1] Reporting documents that he lost the 2010 election and that a successor was sworn in on January 4, 2011.[^4] ## Who The Sheriff's Office served as the Strike Force's fiscal agent until December 31, 2008.[^2] The Legislative Auditor's review names Sheriff Bob Fletcher in connection with the fiscal-agent role.[^2] The located portion of the August 2009 panel review does not name him.[^3] Fletcher is the subject of the county's current page for the [[Ramsey County Sheriff]].[^1] In the 2022 election for sheriff he received 136,429 votes, or 96.4 percent, and was effectively unopposed.[^5] ## What The Legislative Auditor reviewed the Strike Force's handling of seized property. It reported:[^2] - seized cash that could not be accounted for; - vehicles that could not be located; - unserved seizure notices; - funds retained that belonged to the Attorney General's Office. The independent panel reported warrantless phone searches and seizures made without notice.[^3] ## When - **December 31, 2008:** the Sheriff's Office's service as fiscal agent ended.[^2] - **May 20, 2009:** the Legislative Auditor issued Special Review 09-18.[^2] - **August 20, 2009:** the independent panel review is dated.[^3] - **2010–2011:** the sheriff was defeated in 2010, and his successor was sworn in on January 4, 2011.[^4] - **2019:** MinnPost reported a projected overspend in the office's budget.[^4] - **2020:** MinnPost reported that the sheriff sued the [[County Board]] and lost.[^4] - **2022:** the sheriff won election with 96.4 percent of the vote.[^5] ## How According to the Legislative Auditor's review, seizure notices were never served in 202 of the 545 cash seizures it examined.[^2] The independent panel described two further practices: searches of phones without warrants, and seizures carried out without notice.[^3] ## How much The Legislative Auditor reported two Strike Force amounts:[^2] - at least $18,126 in seized cash unaccounted for; - about $229,000 retained that should have been paid to the Attorney General's Office. MinnPost reported three figures on the office's later spending:[^4] - a projected 2019 budget overspend of $2.5 million; - a final 2019 result of $950,000 over budget; - $860,000 in questioned spending, including funds to a law-enforcement charter school the sheriff established. ## How many The Legislative Auditor's review counted:[^2] - fourteen Strike Force vehicles that could not be located; - 202 cash seizures, out of 545, in which notice was never served. In the 2022 sheriff's election the winning total was 136,429 votes.[^5] ## In the at-issue record At-issue pair AI-Ramsey-074, dated December 31, 2008, sets two things side by side: - the Legislative Auditor's findings on the Strike Force and the Sheriff's Office's role as its fiscal agent;[^2] - the March 2025 presidential action *Protecting America's Bank Account Against Fraud, Waste, and Abuse*, as the federal anchor for seized public money that went unaccounted for while a county fiscal agent held it.[^6] The record carries the auditor's and the panel's findings. It does not establish the Sheriff's Office's own account of these events.[^2][^3] ## Omissions in official accounts The county's official biography of the sheriff states his tenure as "since 1994."[^1] MinnPost documents that he was defeated in 2010 and that a successor was sworn in on January 4, 2011.[^4] The biography does not mention that interruption.[^1][^4] ## Notes [^1]: Ramsey County, *Meet Sheriff Fletcher* (county website, undated) — official biography of the sheriff, stating his tenure as "since 1994". https://www.ramseycountymn.gov/your-government/leadership/sheriffs-office/meet-sheriff-fletcher [^2]: Minnesota Office of the Legislative Auditor, *Metro Gang Strike Force* (Special Review 09-18, 2009-05-20) — $18,126 unaccounted for; 14 vehicles not located; 202 of 545 seizure notices unserved; about $229,000 retained that should have gone to the Attorney General's Office; Ramsey County Sheriff's Office fiscal agent through 2008-12-31. https://www.lrl.mn.gov/docs/2009/other/090592.pdf [^3]: Independent review panel (Luger/Egelhof), *Metro Gang Strike Force review* (2009-08-20) — warrantless phone searches; seizures without notice. https://www.leg.mn.gov/docs/2009/other/090834.pdf [^4]: MinnPost, *Controversial and unchallenged: why Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher looks to be cruising toward another term* (2022-05) — 2010 defeat; successor sworn in 2011-01-04; 2019 projected $2.5 million overspend and final $950,000 overrun; 2020 suit against the county board, lost; $860,000 questioned, including charter-school funds. https://www.minnpost.com/metro/2022/05/controversial-and-unchallenged-why-ramsey-county-sheriff-bob-fletcher-looks-to-be-cruising-toward-another-term/ [^5]: Ballotpedia, *Bob Fletcher* — 2022 sheriff's election: 136,429 votes, 96.4 percent, effectively unopposed. https://ballotpedia.org/Bob_Fletcher [^6]: The White House, *Protecting America's Bank Account Against Fraud, Waste, and Abuse* (presidential action, 2025-03) — federal anchor of at-issue pair AI-Ramsey-074. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/protecting-americas-bank-account-against-fraud-waste-and-abuse/