[15] Hundreds of citizens protested daily at Hennepin County Government Center and Minneapolis City Hall [16] Among political leaders opposed to Sheriff Stanek's decision were Lieutenant Governor Tina Smith,[17] U.S. Representative Keith Ellison,[18] state Representative Peggy Flanagan,[15][19] state Representative Karen Clark, state Senator Patricia Torres Ray, Minneapolis City Council members Alondra Cano and Cameron Gordon,[20] Civil rights organizer Clyde Bellecourt[12] and Hennepin County commissioners Marion Greene, Linda Higgins,[21] and Peter McLaughlin who, in a Facebook post said, "Indian Nations have a special interest in this issue and that interest must be protected!

In our judgment, the demonstrations by water protectors on and near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation have been overwhelmingly peaceful, prayerful, dignified, and reverent.

We hereby call on all Hennepin County Commissioners and Sheriff Richard Stanek to immediately withdraw all Hennepin County forces from North Dakota.In response, Sheriff Stanek issued a statement explaining that his office responded to the request from North Dakota to maintain "the public's safety, preserve the peace, and protect the constitutional rights of protesters" and that the deployment was a routine mutual aid agreement between law enforcement agencies.

[19] Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton stated in an interview that the deployment was a routine mutual aid response, and that "It sounds like they conducted themselves very professionally.

[27] Later, the HCSO was responsible for taking custody of Derek Chauvin and the three Minneapolis Police officers who failed to intervene during the murder of George Floyd.

[30] In November 2022, Dawanna Witt was elected as the 29th Sheriff of Hennepin County, making her the first woman and person of color to hold the position.

[36] HCSO was granted the ASIS International Public-Private Partnership Award in recognition of its Shield program, which builds relationships between law enforcement and local businesses and security providers.