SCPD Sets Date For Annual Community Policing Agreement Review

(KNSI) – Thursday, May 9th, has been selected as the date for the annual review of the St. Cloud Community Policing Agreement.

The document is roughly two decades old and requires a yearly meeting to report mutual issues between residents and the police department to forward community relations. There is also the potential to actively edit the agreement to ensure it remains effective for years to come.

At the 2023 meeting, St. Cloud Police Chief Jeffrey Oxton spoke about a surge in mental health calls for officers. They have soared from 583 in 2018 to over 1,000 in 2022. He also discussed fentanyl, how to identify it, and how lethal it is compared to narcotics available only five or ten years ago.

Oxton told KNSI News then that the burden placed on officers by those trends means they seek out community relations efforts. Camping, fishing trips, reading to schoolkids, and various sports are not just great times for residents who might otherwise be intimidated by the police; they are mental breaks from the more serious aspects of an officer’s job.

Oxton says highlighting that balance is important for the department to show to new hiring recruits. The meeting will take place at police headquarters, 101 11th Ave. N, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. It is hosted in conjunction with the St. Cloud Regional Human Rights Commission.

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