Northfield Chief of Police Mark Elliott has indicated that his department, after receiving support and resources from the City Council, is now looking to hire new patrol officers.
Earlier this month, after Elliott made a presentation to the Council showing how difficult it has become to hire and retain police officers, the Council voted to give current officers pay increases, and make working for the Northfield Police Department a more attractive proposition.
The changes are necessary because at least four of the people in Senior Command positions with the NPD are set to retire in 2024. Decisions need to be made in advance of those retirements to ensure a seamless transition, and that includes hiring at least one new officer right away.
Police work has changed quite a bit, of course, since the death of George Floyd in May of 2020. Many police officers have either retired or left the profession. In order to recruit quality replacements, many police departments have been offering cops sizable pay increases to make lateral moves. The departments left with the open positions are receiving far fewer applicants than in the past. Elliott said during one hiring process in 2019, the Northfield Police Department had 55 candidates for one open position. During the most recent hiring process in 2023 they had ten applicants, which, as he pointed out, is an 80% drop.
Elliott has been quick to point out that the Northfield Police Department is fortunate. Even with the smaller pool of candidates to choose from, the quality of those candidates has remained high, and he hopes to see that trend continue, which is another reason he asked for the pay increase.
The Department has offered support to the Northfield Community College Collaborative to help with the law enforcement education program that has been put in place. The State of Minnesota requires that all police officers have at least a two-year degree in Criminal Justice, and NCCC has a program that allows students to get the majority of their education in Northfield in order to become a cop. And for those interested, but reluctant to take out student loans for their education, Elliott said there are several state and local programs in place, some passed by the legislature just this past spring, to help with loans and possibly offset them altogether. The Federal Government also has a loan forgiveness plan in place.
“Policing is one of those professions that falls under public service. If folks are taking out student loans or if they have current student loans and want to take those steps to become a police officer, after 10 years of public service and making those minimum loan payments, the Feds will forgive the rest of those loans. So, there are lots of opportunities to get into the profession in ways that are pretty financially stable.”
Northfield, he said, can be a very good place to work as a police officer, particularly for those interested in Community Policing. The department is offering competitive pay and good benefits, he said, and suggested any qualified person with interest should apply. One posting will be put up this week, he said, and he expects to hire another new officer by the end of the year.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Northfield Chief of Police Mark Elliott can be heard here
SAVE organization goes through changes, but mission remains
The 21st Annual Tour de SAVE is set for Saturday. The bicycle ride to support the organization Suicide Voices of Education (SAVE) has become a Northfield tradition, turning tragedy into something that supports both those who have lost someone to suicide, and an organization that works to prevent suicide.
Bill Metz, one of the founders of the ride, said the idea came shortly after a friend of his and a fellow bicycle enthusiast, Nick Sansome, died of suicide in 2003. In the early days, the ride was called the “Tour de Nick,” and was a fully volunteer effort that was intended to honor a friend’s memory and raise a little money.
After a chance encounter with Dr. Dan Reidenberg, the former executive director of SAVE, the organizers decided to give the ride even more purpose by raising money for SAVE. Now in its twenty-first year, the ride will have more than 300 participants this week.
As in past years, there will be five separate routes, three blacktop rides that run 7 miles, 25 miles and 50 miles, and two on gravel that run 32 miles and 57 miles. After experimenting with different start times, organizers have decided to return to the original format this year. Registration will open at 8am. A short program will be held at 9am, and then riders will set off.
Eric Bergh, a member of the SAVE Board of Directors, said the organization has been through some changes this year. Dr. Reidenberg, after having been with SAVE from the beginning, has stepped away, as has longtime event coordinator Linda Mars.
However, Bergh said, the board has been energized by the changes within the organization. After asking Pete Theisen to serve as interim CEO, he said the board has just hired Erich Mische to be the new Executive Director. Mische is the now former Executive Director of Spare Key, a non-profit that helps families with sick children who are dealing with financial difficulties by making a mortgage payment on their behalf. Prior to his time with Spare Key, Mische was known as a top-notch political strategist, who served as Norm Coleman’s Chief of Staff, both when Coleman was Mayor of St. Paul and when Coleman was in the United States Senate. Bergh said the hiring signals a new direction for the organization.
“We’re going to really emphasize a a few things now at SAVE, and one is going to be more gatekeeping training for frontline people. We’ve acquired the Bandana Project for college campuses, which is students that have been trained in identification prevention, wearing red bandanas so they can be identified. We have programs for corporations, and police and military. And we will continue our work in aftercare for folks who are survivors of suicide loss.”
The Tour de Save will be Saturday, July 29th at Sechler Park. Registration begins at 8am. The rides begin shortly after 9am. Those wanting to register on the morning of the ride are asked to arrive by 8:30 Saturday morning. Jerseys will be available for sale at the event. Helmets are mandatory.
For registration and more information visit the Tour de Save website.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
