Last week, I traveled to Mankato as did a number of law enforcement executives from the area to meet with Michael Campion, Commissioner of Public Safety along with a number of other state level public safety individuals to discuss issues facing law enforcement in this part of the state.
Commissioner Campion has been Commissioner a relatively short period of time but I have been impressed with his honesty and direct approach to the business of public safety. His theme of local control and being a resource to local law enforcement agencies to partner to keep our respective communities safe is a very welcome approach.
Most of the faces around the table were familiar to me. So were the bulk of the concerns: lack of funding, too few officers to respond to an increasing demand by our communities for service, and homeland security issues. The conversation was constructive and informative. It’s good to connect with other chief law enforcement officers occasionally to see what is going on in with other administrators and their organizations. Southeastern Minnesota has a good network of communication and shared resources that is beneficial during major events and emergencies.
It was also good to hear that Commissioner Campion is working hard to keep the multi-jurisdictional drug task forces and gang strike task force in place. Both of these functions serve Minnesota well in the attempt to control and reduce drug and gang activity in Minnesota.
Colonel Anne Beers of the Minnesota State Patrol was also present to talk about their ability to provide support throughout the state. The State Patrol is a good partner for Northfield, providing assistance in locating a trooper in the Northfield area with a drug dog and assisting with special enforcement waves and assistance to our officers when no other backup is available. Additionally, the air wing of the State Patrol has assisted us on several occasions during pursuits and photographing crime scenes from the air to provide the future ability to draw true scale diagrams. Despite funding cutbacks, Colonel Beers pledged to continue to provide assistance.
Faribault Police Chief Mike Lewis and myself took the opportunity to share the drive down and back. It gave us the opportunity to discuss common concerns and future joint endeavors. Collaborative efforts between Faribault, Northfield, and the Rice County Sheriff’s Department has shown good results. Participating recently with the South Central Drug Investigations Unit, we successfully removed over 70 known drug dealers from both Northfield and Faribault.
Chief Lewis and myself continue to work toward common efforts that benefit both communities and save operational costs. Some of the areas we have already identified and taken advantage of are: training, sharing resources during major events, and joint investigative activities on criminal cases of mutual interest. We are both fortunate to have city administrators who are supportive of our efforts to maximize efficiencies and effectiveness, allowing us to work “outside of the box.”
I’ll hopefully have the opportunity in this space in the future to expand on some of the new possibilities that await us.