Photo by David Joles/Minneapolis Star Tribune via ZUMA Wire
Dave Hutchinson
Dave Hutchinson, Hennepin County Sheriff
Welcome to 2021, the year we finally move forward again. The only question now is, how? We interviewed some key Twin Cities stakeholders, community voices, and leaders who will be central to what happens–or doesn't–in the year to come.
“I suppose everyone had goals for 2020 before COVID and the unfortunate death of Mr. Floyd and civil unrest began,” says Hennepin County Sheriff Dave Hutchinson. “Our goals were all about mental health and community relations. So we started our Tri Wellness unit.”
Tri means three, of course—body, mind, and spirit. Sheriff Hutchinson, simply “Hutch” to most, established a set of supports for the 800-plus-person Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office staff, including a staff psychologist, four chaplains, a peer support network, and various other health and wellness opportunities. It all came out of Hutch’s philosophy that a well-supported sheriff is the best sheriff.
“If our staff is happy and healthy and treated well, when they interact with the community, you’ll get the best services. When our people are facing challenges at home, and then they have to go serve people who, sometimes, their lives are in shambles, how can that work? If our own people are not taken care of, I’m doing a disservice to my staff and also my constituents who trust me to take care of them. My staff needs to be on their best game so the people of Hennepin County can have the services they deserve.”
Luckily, Hutch’s Tri Wellness unit was in place for four months before COVID lockdown and for nearly seven months before the uprising after George Floyd’s murder.
“The death of Mr. Floyd was a horrible, horrible thing for our county, our state, and our world,” he says. “The mass arrests, in the time of COVID—just because you get arrested doesn’t mean you don’t deserve to be healthy. Then in our jail, people were getting sick. Because by law we have to have a minimum amount of staffing, our deputies were working such long shifts. They have done a phenomenal job, the men and women who work at the jail. Some of these challenges with the unrest, they would have been a challenge no matter what. But it’s been somewhat tolerable for me as sheriff because of our great staff. We’re the only department in the state with a full-time therapist, and she’s been very, very busy. [The number of] people seeking out help here has increased dramatically, but they’re doing great. This summer was awful, but as a human race we’re pretty tough. If we come together, we can do this. We have to start talking about the good stuff. There’s more good than bad, it’s just not getting covered.”
This article originally appeared in the January 2021 issue.
