By Rich Larson, News Director Rich@kymnradio.net
After announcing his intention to retire last spring, Northfield Chief of Police Mark Elliott will officially step away from the Northfield Police Department and his career in law enforcement on Friday.
Elliott, who succeeded former Chief Monte Nelson in July of 2020, has had a long and distinguished career in law enforcement, serving as Chief of Police in Prior Lake prior to his time in Northfield, and as a Bloomington police officer prior to that.
Elliott assumed the top job in Northfield in the wake of the civil unrest following the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, and he inherited a department that had curtailed much of its community outreach programs due to budget cuts. He said early on that there was a need for better communication by the department with the community, and followed through with more programs geared toward community policing. He was part of a city task force that made a thorough evaluation of department policies, resulting in the Northfield Police Department policy manual being posted online to the department’s website, and his advocacy for a body camera program resulted in a modernizing of the department that brought more transparency to the work done by Northfield police.
He has also paid special attention to issues of mental health both within the department, and in the community. He instituted a mental health check-up policy for all Northfield police officers, noting that cops in good mental health make for a better and safer community. He has also been a tireless supporter of county programs that deal head-on with mental health and addiction, particularly with regard to the fentanyl crisis. The Community Coordinator program, and the recently enacted Police Assisted Recovery and Deflection program, were the results, in part, of Elliott’s dedication to combating addiction issues and to getting drugs, particularly those laced with fentanyl, off the streets.
With his responsibilities relinquished to new Chief of Police Jeff Schroepfer, Elliott will spend the next several months traveling to visit friends and family across the country.
A retirement party will be held for Elliott on Friday from 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM in the council chambers of City Hall.
Those of us with KYMN Radio thank Chief Elliott for his remarkable service over the past four years, and wish him the very best.
