Juvenile Crime Decreasing in Burnsville, Dakota County

Juvenile crime in Eagan and in Dakota Countyappears to be on the decline, according to Dakota County Attorney Jim Backstrom.

The total number of juvenile offenders charged with crimes in Dakota County decreased by almost 8 percent last year, dropping from 1,445 in 2010 to 1,334 in 2011.

“It is a good sign that the number of youth charged with a crime in our community continues to drop,” Backstrom said in a new release issue earlier this week.

Dakota County also experienced a decrease in the number of juveniles charged with felony-level charges. In 2010, 203 juveniles were charged with felonies. In 2011, 192 were charged. This is a drastic drop in felony charges from 2001, where 420 juveniles were charged. 

This is the ninth consecutive year Dakota County has experienced a decrease in the overall number of juveniles prosecuted for criminal acts. 

The decrease countywide is also reflected by a local drop in juvenile crime; 206 juveniles were charged with crimes in Burnsville in 2010. Only 179 were charged in 2011.

That being said, in 2011, Burnsville had the highest number of felony charges for criminal damage to property (five cases), dangerous weapons (three cases) and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle in Dakota County. Burnsville also experienced the most juvenile thefts that took place in Dakota County in 2011 — with almost 40 percent of the 199 cases on record.

All and all, however, the county attorney's office has noted a pronounced drop in juvenile crime since the early 2000s. Backstrom credits county prevention and early intervention programs for the felony decrease. These programs, which are coordinated by the Dakota County Attorney’s Office, include youth accountability programs for first time offenders and more intense programming for second time users of alcohol or marijuana.  The programs include activities such as community service work and writing letters of apology.

The county attorney’s office is also presenting an anti-bullying initiative. So far, the initiative has been presented to over 15,500 students, staff and parents.

“Educating students on the potential dangers of bullying, harassing or aggressive behaviors, and the dangers associated with ‘sexting’ and how this conduct could lead to criminal charges is important in our efforts to keep our kids safe,” Backstrom said in the news release.