MINNEAPOLIS, Dec. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) announced today its commitment to three criminal justice programs aimed at assisting law enforcement professionals in finding, tracking and prosecuting criminals in Minnesota.

Target will commit $260,000 to purchase four pieces of forensic equipment for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension's (BCA) new crime lab in Bemidji. The company also will spearhead a fundraising campaign for more reward money for the BCA.

The two initiatives are in addition to Target's support for CriMNet, an integrated, statewide criminal justice network. Target was instrumental leading a broad-based coalition in the 2000 session of the Minnesota Legislature that helped win passage of Katie's Law which provided initial funding for developing CriMNet. The coalition now is seeking passage of funding to begin implementing the system.

"Target Corporation has a long tradition of investing in the communities in which we operate," said Nate Garvis, vice president of government affairs at Target. "We want our employees and our customers to live in safe, healthy communities. With these new tools, law enforcement professionals will have the latest technology to help them find, convict and track criminals in Minnesota."

The three programs will offer tools for several aspects of the criminal justice system:

• CriMNet, an integrated, statewide system to track criminals will allow police officers and judges to have accurate, up-to-date information on criminals and suspects. Today, no system exists to share information between the 1,100 different law enforcement agencies, meaning some convicted criminals have records that do not reflect their complete criminal history.

• The BCA equipment includes a compact laser to lift fingerprints that are too faint to obtain through conventional "dust and lift" methods, a comparison microscope that matches bullets to the weapons that fired them, and two spectrometers forensic scientists use to analyze substances found at crime scenes, especially drugs.

• Reward money is used to gain additional information for a crime that has few leads or where all previous leads have proven ineffective. Target will be working to raise over $500,000 from other businesses to ensure BCA officials have funds available to offer rewards in cases where increased public awareness could be helpful.

"These investments will assist law enforcement officials as they strive to make our communities safer places. Target is proud to be able to help," said Garvis.

About Target Corporation

Target Corporation operates large-store general merchandise formats, including discount stores, moderate-priced promotional and traditional department stores. The company currently operates 1,309 stores in 46 states. This includes 978 Target stores, 267 Mervyn's stores and 64 Department Stores. SOURCE Target Corporation

-0- 12/28/2000