Noor trial security price tag: $92,000
Security was tight in the monthlong trial of former Minneapolis officer Mohamed Noor
Public agencies spent nearly $92,000 to secure the high-profile murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor earlier this year.
The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office provided double the staff it would typically provide other trials, according to information obtained this week by MPR News through a data-practices request. Noor was found guilty of murder and manslaughter in April in the shooting death of 911 caller Justine Ruszczyk.
Sheriff's deputies were paid $31,412 for the monthlong trial, which included 148 hours of overtime and 640 hours of regular pay.
Deputies helped manage the screening process as well as public and media attendance in a main courtroom as well as an overflow room.
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According to the data, the sheriff's office typically assigns two deputies to a trial, which typically lasts a few days.
In this case, the sheriff's office assigned four deputies a day for Noor's trial, which went on through the month of April.
The Minnesota Court Administrator's office also provided its numbers after a similar request from MPR News. That data shows the office spent an additional $60,296 on private security staff that searched attendees of the trial and locked away electronic devices.
The judge in the case, Kathryn Quaintance, said at the time that the Noor case attracted more publicity and media interest leading up to the trial than she’d ever seen in her nearly 20 years on the bench.
Noor is serving a 12 1/2 year prison sentence for third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the July 2017 killing. He has filed an appeal.