To the Editor,

Crime in Minneapolis is nothing new, but it’s now spreading beyond the metro and hurting our rural communities too. This month, Jerome Skulzacek was tragically killed in Kandiyohi County when a criminal fleeing authorities tried to steal his car. This criminal led law enforcement on a high-speed chase, driving at speeds of 130 miles per hour, risking the lives of countless others in his path as he fled from Minneapolis to Willmar.

As I pray for Mr. Skulzacek’s family, I again recommit my support for our law enforcement officers, both as the family of police officers and as a member of the U.S. House Representatives.

When my Republican colleagues and I wrote a letter to Governor Walz expressing our outrage at the mishandling of Trooper Londregan’s trial, we were deeply concerned about the impact of punishing officers for doing their jobs. We feared this would leave Minneapolis crime unchecked and allow it to spill over into rural Minnesota. Unfortunately, this month’s case proves how right we were to be worried. It is vital that our law enforcement officers have the support they need to fulfill their duties both from their communities and from elected officials. This support is absent in Minneapolis, and because of it, more officers are put at risk in the line of duty, and fewer officers are signing up to join the force. If this had not been the case, Minneapolis officers may have been able to stop this disgusting criminal before he left the city and murdered an innocent man.

In Congress, Republicans recently passed the Keeping Violent Offenders Off Our Streets Act. This bill addresses the soft-on-crime agenda, failed bail reform, and defund the police movement we have seen take hold in Minneapolis. After the Minneapolis riots in 2020, Vice President Harris encouraged her supporters around the country to donate to the Minnesota Freedom Fund (MFF) which provides indiscriminate bail for any type of offenders, whether they were violent or not. Shortly after this promotion, the MFF raised nearly $35 million. While the City of Minneapolis was still smoldering in ashes (including the 3rd Police Precinct building), the money was being used to put some of those connected to these riots back on the streets. In the following years the MFF would go on to use their funds to bail out multiple individuals who went on to commit murders and domestic assaults while out on bail. This legislation cracks down on organizations like the MFF that gives violent offenders get-out-of-jail-free cards. The bill also gives law enforcement the tools they need to prevent repeat offenders from endangering our communities.

People like Vice President Harris, those responsible for the wrongful prosecution of Trooper Londregan, and those in the defund the police movement instill distrust and even hatred towards police, which then leads to people feeling emboldened to act on that feeling. This is why, I am sorry to say, we have seen an increase in assaults on officers. House Republicans are working to reverse this trend. I am a proud cosponsor of the Protect and Serve Act, which makes it a federal felony for anyone to knowingly assault or cause bodily harm to a member of law enforcement.

Our communities rely on law enforcement to keep us safe, and I personally am deeply grateful for the work they do every day and the sacrifices they have to make. I have said time and again that Congress has the responsibility of setting an example of trust and respect for our law enforcement. Unfortunately, many of my colleagues have been spending years doing the opposite. My House Republican colleagues are committed to defending those who defend our communities and ensuring they have the tools and support they need to carry out their duties. 

Rep. Michelle Fischbach,

US Representative