For the first time, the City of Minneapolis has made it possible to give a community impact statement online rather than in person. By filling out a short community impact statement, people can tell the courts how crimes really affect the livability of their neighborhood. Prosecutors can then present these statements to judges during sentencing.
In addition to the online convenience, the search tool makes it easier than ever to search through the database of cases. Residents can look up cases by offense, alleged offender, street address or general location of the offense.
The community impact statement can be accessed on the City Attorney's Web site.
Before the creation of this tool, people had to go to one of the five Minneapolis Police Department precincts to file community impact statements. And even then, they did not have the ability to browse cases like they can now.
The online tool covers people charged with livability offenses, such as trespassing, consuming in public, disorderly conduct, loitering with intent to buy or sell narcotics, lurking and public urination. These offenses can have a significant impact on people who live and work in the area. By giving a voice to these affected people, community impact statements show the court that these are not victimless crimes.
