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Alpha News has been tracking how Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara has racked up 30 complaints in just over three years—and despite all the talk about transparency and accountability, Mayor Jacob Frey and the mainstream media seem to be ignoring them. 

To gain insight and perspective on these circumstances and the complaints, Dr. Travis Yates, an expert on police training and leadership and a retired police major, joined Liz Collin on her podcast.

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Joe Boche, a former special agent and fraud investigator in Minnesota, saw the warning signs and wasn't surprised by all the fraud.

But he's still very concerned about the policies and practices that enabled fraud—and allowed it to continue.

Boche spoke with Liz Collin on her podcast and offered an inside perspective on the political moves and lack of accountability that made a big problem even worse.

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Jenny Liang, a 21-year-old graduate of the University of Northwestern, and a research assistant for the University of Minnesota Law School, joined Liz Collin on her podcast.

Liang is the GOP endorsed candidate for House District 40A in Minnesota. After learning about what her family went through during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, she's trying to make changes at the Capitol—and sounding the alarm about the need to bring civility back to the state before it's too late.

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A Minneapolis police officer who worked on the streets for decades spoke with Liz Collin on her podcast.

Due to anti-law enforcement hostility and retaliation, he asked to remain anonymous. But he spoke candidly about a wide range of topics, including the shocking problems with retirements and recruits, Somali fraud, cars that have been stolen more than a few times, and more.

But, he says, it was the politics of city hall—preventing cooperation with federal law enforcement and compromising public safety during Operation Metro Surge—that was the final straw for him.

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Mary Restrepo joined Liz Collin on her podcast to talk about how her daughter Cristina was killed by a negligent driver—and how the Hennepin County Attorney's Office has made the family's nightmare even worse. 

She explained how prosecutors, under Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarity, apparently have been doing more for the negligent driver than seeking justice for Cristina, her family, and her 12-year-old son.

There is a fund set up to help Cristina’s son in the future:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-memory-of-cristina-restrepo

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Edwin Reed, who had to shut down his business near George Floyd Square, and Michael Healy, his attorney, joined Liz Collin on her podcast. 

Reed explained that the city is "picking and choosing who's more important" as Minneapolis pushes funding for businesses following ICE's Operation Metro Surge. He also talked about how he and eight other business owners are suing the city for allowing gangs and activists to take over the area, which consequently ruined his business.

Healy, his attorney, pointed out that "ultimately, it's the Minneapolis City Council and Mayor Frey who are responsible" for allowing traffic to be blocked for more than a year as the area became "a war zone" following George Floyd's death.

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Rebecca Delahunt, director of public policy for Minnesota Family Council, joined Liz Collin on her podcast and talked about the latest developments with the so-called Equal Rights Amendment.

Among her many concerns, Delahunt explained that "if this were to pass, it would give much higher legal protection for males to be housed at Shakopee,” Minnesota's prison for women. She said it could also lead to protections in the state constitution that would allow criminals to change their names and birth certificates and “practically disappear without a court order.”

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Cristine Trooien, executive director of Minnesota Partnership for Achievement, joined Liz Collin on her podcast. She's been an advocate for better public education and student achievement for quite some time, including as the founder of the Minnesota Parents Alliance.

But with Ethnic Studies legislation set to take effect, Trooien said parents, political leaders, and legislators must take immediate action to restore Minnesota's educational values and prevent even more harm to student achievement.

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Mille Lacs County Sheriff Kyle Burton, who puts public safety before politics, joined Liz Collin on her podcast. 

Sheriff Burton offered his perspective about the hard-won cooperation with ICE—and the chaos caused by anti-ICE rhetoric—as Operation Metro Surge comes to an end.

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The St. Paul Field Office Director for ICE details some of the anti-ICE attacks and the rhetoric from Minnesota politicians as Operation Metro Surge comes to an end. 

Alpha News has been the only Minnesota media organization granted a behind the scenes look at the work ICE officers do in the state. 

Liz Collin first rode along with officers in September and this week we went back to cover the draw down of the operation.

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