Sartell one of 35 Law Enforcement Agencies to Receive Grants to Deal With Staffing Shortages

(KNSI) – The Sartell Police Department is one of 35 agencies getting a little help to fill its ranks.

The assistance will come from the new Intensive Comprehensive Peace Officer Education and Training grant program. Governor Tim Walz announced the program on Wednesday, stating that more law enforcement agencies are experiencing staffing shortfalls due to retirements and fewer people choosing to enter the profession.

Applicants with a two—or four-year degree can get up to $50,000 to make a career change. The recruits will start in October with eight months of education at either Alexandria Technical & Community College or Hennepin Technical College.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety has set aside $2.5 million for the program. It complements the existing peace officer recruiting program Pathway to Policing, which the Waite Park Police Department has used in the past.

Other departments getting funding include:

Belle Plaine Police
Big Stone County Sheriff
Blaine Police
Bloomington Police
Brooklyn Park Police
Carver County Sheriff
Chisago County Sheriff
Columbia Heights Police
Faribault Police
Freeborn County Sheriff
Hennepin County Sheriff
Hopkins Police
Lakeville Police
Lino Lakes Police
Maple Grove Police
Medina Police
Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Police
Minneapolis Police
Minneapolis-St. Paul Int’l Airport Police
Moorhead Police
New Brighton Police
Orono Police
Owatonna Police
Prairie Island Indian Community Police
Richfield Police
Rosemount Police
Roseville Police
St. Louis Park Police
St. Paul Police
Wadena Police
Waseca County Sheriff
West Hennepin Public Safety
Woodbury Public Safety
Wyoming Police