(KNSI) — St. Cloud Police Chief Blair Anderson says he has never seen fewer applicants looking for a career in law enforcement than there are now. That dynamic is having a profound effect on staffing and the programs the department can offer. It is also creating competition between municipal forces, and even state agencies.
At a Monday morning press conference, Anderson said, “So far we haven’t lost any to larger departments, but we have lost some to departments in smaller communities, that may not have the volume of activity that we have. And we are concerned about that. The new Violent Crime Unit that’s being proposed at BCA (the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension)…they’re going to need 40 to 50 agents. And we’ve been asking, ‘Where are you guys going to get those from?'”
Bipartisan proposals are expected to be filed at the state capitol this week, authored by St. Cloud representatives Tama Theis and Dan Wolgamott, aimed at incentivizing people to start a career in law enforcement. The bills would establish a two-year state income tax holiday and provide funding to departments for hiring and retention bonuses.