who is the dakota county attorney

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Mar 09, 2022 · Kathryn M. Keena. Professional qualifications. I am the Chief Deputy in the Dakota County Attorney's Office and currently serve as the Acting Dakota County Attorney. I joined the office in April 2000 and have worked in both the criminal and civil divisions.

Who is the county attorney for Dakota County?

What are the responsibilities of the Dakota County Attorney?

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Who is the Dakota County Attorney?

Citing her three decades-long legal experience and familiarity with the Dakota County attorney’s office, county commissioners on Tuesday picked Kathryn Keena to serve as county attorney for the remaining 20 months of Jim Backstrom’s elected term.

When is the next election for Dakota County Attorney?

The next election to fill the Dakota County attorney position will be Nov. 8, 2022, with a four-year term starting Jan. 2, 2023.

Who is the first woman commissioner in Dakota County?

The decision to recommend Keena was unanimous among Dakota County commissioners. If they approve the appointment next week as expected, she will become the county’s first woman to hold the position.

What is voluntary services in Dakota County?

Once needs are addressed, a variety of voluntary services are offered and may include brief counseling, parent educational support programs, safety planning with parents and extended family members, and voluntary case management with parents to assist them with staying on task with services needed to resolve safety concerns.

Why is Dakota County reducing out of home placements?

Dakota County is always striving to find ways to reduce out of home placements because of the obvious benefits for children who can safely remain with their parents. Recently, a new safety practice model was adopted by Dakota County Social Services and implementation is in progress. The goal of this model is to ensure that children are only placed for true safety issues that cannot be otherwise addressed or corrected by some other response.

What is FDMM in Dakota County?

In Dakota County, we utilize Family Decision Making Meetings (FDMM) at the front-end (before removal, before court) allowing parents to participate and determine a safe plan for their child (ren) while parents work on resolving whatever safety issues brought them to our attention. It is often during these meetings that extended family members, or close friends are located to assist parents with safe care of their children. The benefit to FDMM is that parents are engaged in locating an alternative placement for their children while they resolve the safety concerns.

Do prosecutors request bail?

In making bail requests, our prosecutors follow the criminal rules of procedure and take into consideration whether the person poses a significant risk to public safety and/or whether there’s a substantial likelihood the person will not reappear for court. If one is prepared, our prosecutors also consider information provided in the pretrial release evaluation completed by community corrections. Our office does not request bail in cases in which the complaint was issued as a summons.

Can a felony charge be overcharged in Dakota County?

In exercising their charging discretion, prosecutors in the Dakota County Attorney’s Office are prohibited from “overcharging” felony level cases in an attempt to pressure defendants into pleading guilty. Instead, my expectation is that our prosecutors will truly act as ministers of justice in performing their duties and when making charging decisions, take into account such things as: (1) the nature and circumstances of the offense; (2) the probability of obtaining a conviction; (3) the potential sanction if convicted, including potential collateral consequences; (4) the characteristics of the suspect (i.e., mental health and/or substance abuse disorders, criminal history, demonstrated dangerousness of suspect); and (5) the wishes of the alleged victim.