The Safety Committee thanks Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar for attending our October meeting. Klobuchar spoke about her 1999 year-end goals (see the brochure), discussed the challenges she has confronted since taking office, and answered questions from the group. She stressed the importance of developing an information network to link law enforcement and judicial computer systems around the metro area and the state. In Hennepin County, for example, there are about forty separate, unlinked city and county databases containing criminal justice information. Klobuchar has been trying to coordinate the work of her office more closely with that of the police, with the goal of having every crime charged within a week of the case being submitted. Likewise, part of the Safe Schools initiative involves charging crimes committed at schools within a day. In response to community concerns about property crime, Klobuchar has created a special team of seven attorneys to prosecute burglars, thieves, vandals, and those involved in forgery and fraud. Identifying and prosecuting chronic career property offenders is a priority.