Administration
Civil
The Civil Unit serves the civil process. This includes handling and delivering legal and court documents. Documents are served on behalf of individuals, private attorneys, the court, and county departments and agencies.
They also carry out processes involving the seizure of funds. This can be through bank levies, wage garnishments and levies on personal and real property. They manage all sheriff's sales of personal and real property, including mortgage foreclosure sales.
School Resource Officer Program
The School Resource Program assigns a licensed peace officer to school districts to work within the schools. The primary goals are to promote school safety and reduce violence. These objectives are achieved through:
- Building relationships
- Maintaining clear and respectful communication
- Working with both students and staff to find positive and effective resolutions
Records Staff/Warrants/Administrative Staff
The duties of the Records Unit include:
- Handling phone calls
- Processing data requests
- Transferring cases
- Performing clerical duties
This unit manages in-person interactions during regular business hours. The staff also enter, validate and remove warrants as approved by the court.
Gun Permits
This unit accepts and processes Permit to Carry applications for Dakota County residents and non-Minnesota residents. They review active permits every year and update address and personal data changes as requested.
Apprehension Unit
This unit investigates and apprehends individuals with active arrest warrants and holds. They carry out special enforcement projects that support the goals and mission of the office. The unit works with local, state and federal partners.
Operations
Investigations
The Investigations Division provide primary investigative services to the rural areas of Dakota County, including all townships. Assist all other police agencies in Dakota County with "major crime" investigations when requested.
The division investigates crimes against people, which are committed by direct physical harm or force being applied to another person. These include homicides, assaults, domestic assaults, sexual assaults, robbery, child abuse, child sexual abuse, kidnapping, harassment and stalking.
They also investigate crimes against property such as theft, burglary, damage to property, vehicle theft, arson, shoplifting and fraud.
Patrol
The Patrol Division provides primary law enforcement services to 355 square miles of rural Dakota County. This patrol area includes about 20,000 residents living in 13 incorporated townships and six small cities.
They provide traffic enforcement and conduct initial investigation for complaints and crimes such as burglaries, domestics, alarms and suspicious activities. They respond to and assist with motor vehicle accidents and medical emergencies.
Detention Services
Court Security
The court security division maintains order and safety in the courtrooms, conducts security checks, and oversees weapons screening at the Hastings, Apple Valley and West St. Paul courthouses. Deputies provide security for court staff, judges, juries and visitors at the courthouse.
Jail
Correctional deputies manage and supervise inmates in the 270-bed facility. Upon arrival, inmates are searched, body scanned, booked, fingerprinted and photographed. If they are being held or don't bail out, they will be sent to a housing unit where they are issued jail uniforms, bedding and hygiene products. Housing units are staffed 24 hours a day by correctional deputies. They ensure the safety and well-being of inmates and coordinate all the activities in a particular unit.
Transport
The transport division is responsible for transporting those being held in other facilities on active Dakota County warrants to the Dakota County Jail. They transport more than 2,000 individuals each year from not only the State of Minnesota but throughout the United States. In addition, they transport inmates to medical appointments and provide security during hospital admittance.
Integrated Health Unit
Our Integrated Health Unit is a 26-bed unit designed to house inmates who require special care due to being vulnerable or having physical health limitations, substance use disorders or mental health needs. The unit was designed with increased daylight through skylights and dayroom windows, views to natural vegetation, murals of natural settings, and overall softer and warmer wall colors and furniture. Our architects consulted with doctors, therapists and other mental health professionals on the design to achieve a trauma-informed design. Although there are a few similar such units in other jails across the state, ours is the largest and most extensively supportive integrated health unit in the state.