By Teri Knight, News Director
The Northfield Police Department has had many questions regarding their policies. On June 12th, Chief Monte Nelson put out a message answering those questions. It remains posted HERE. NPD training and policies include implicit bias, crisis intervention, de-escalation, response and recognition of persons in mental health crisis, race and equity considerations and a broad range of use of force training. More importantly, NPD stresses live, scenario-based training related to these topics so officers learn how to use these skills in real life situations. Read the full message on our website. Nelson commented last Thursday that he and Deputy Chief Mark Elliott had been in the process of updating policies before the killing of George Floyd. They contracted with Lexipol,(a premier police policy and training firm) to review and update
department policies. He said, “that includes that ones that people have been asking about especially use of force related policies, race and equity issues and racial profiling”. He expects this to take to the end of the year. While they have policies already, this will update those to Federal and State standards to current case law. Nelson added, “it’s a good process to go through because we’ll end up with a much better policy manual than we already have and we have a good policy manual”. Listen to Nelson’s full interview from June 25th HERE. As for body cams, his department has asked for years for the allocation of funding for those but that must be approved by the City Council.
City spends thousands on channelizers
“I think that there’s probably some mixed reviews on it. Change is not always easy for folks”, that’s Northfield Mayor Pownell when asked about feedback on the “channelizers” that were placed on the Water/4th st bridge to accommodate fisherman and pedestrians. After posting pictures on Facebook of what it looks like, KYMN had far more negative responses than positive. The City has said that the actual barriers were not what they had ordered, however, they were set up by the company. Streets and Parks Manager Tim Behrendt was not there when it they were being installed. One of our listeners reached out to staff for an accounting of funds spent in this project. Here is the response he received, “Staff was requested to provide an update on the costs incurred related to the Water Street closure and additional pedestrian space/channelizers on the bridge. Currently we have approximately $8,000 with staff time, materials, and renting traffic control “. That was on Friday. He also compiled all the responses from the various FB threads regarding this project & emailed it to all members of the council showing them what the taxpayers – their constituents – think. Call or email your elected officials if you have an opinion. The changes to the bridge are scheduled to be in place through August 7th and will be reassessed by the council at their August 3rd meeting.
Cedar Lake public access will close for improvements
Rice County’s busiest boat launch will be closed after the July 4th holiday, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. The Cedar Lake Public Water Access will close from July 6th until late August while it undergoes a number of improvements including paved and striped parking stalls, expanded parking, and energy-efficient lighting. The upgrades are better-suited for modern-sized boats and pickup trucks, and will create a better experience, according to DNR Parks and Trails area supervisor Joel Wagar. He said, “the current set-up at the public water access has a number of traffic flow issues. We appreciate the public’s patience while this project is under construction but we’re confident that they will enjoy the many upgrades”. Other improvements include a portable restroom, a tie-down stall and improved stormwater handling. Since there are no other public water accesses on Cedar Lake, boaters are encouraged to visit the DNR’s website to find public water accesses on other lakes.
Bagged salad recall
The bagged salad recall expands. The FDA and CDC are investigating a multi-state outbreak of cyclospora infections linked to bagged salad mixes sold in the Upper Midwest, including Minnesota at HyVee, Aldi and Walmart stores. I have a lot more information on our website including all the specific brands, of which there are too many to announce on the air. Here is the information.
