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When most people think of American law enforcement, images of New York, Baltimore and the like come to mind. But the reality is that the vast majority of law enforcement agencies in the United States have 50 or fewer officers, with many well below that 50-officer mark. Smaller agencies in smaller towns face unique challenges, and a tiny department in Minnesota is no exception.
Moose Lake, Minnesota, has slightly more than 2,700 citizens. According to local NBC affiliate news station KARE11, law enforcement services were being provided by just one officer as of February, as a result of ongoing budget cuts and a rash of officer resignations. But at a recent meeting, the town decided that even that was too much. In a 3–2 vote, the city council chose to disband the police department.
Apparently, public safety costs make up the majority of the city’s budget. They plan to save money by contracting with the county sheriff’s office to provide coverage to the town. The details of the new arrangement will take some time to finalize, but the Moose Lake Police Department will soon be no more.
Despite the obvious difficulty the City faced in reaching the contentious decision (the two councilmembers who voted against the move felt strongly about keeping the department), they aren’t alone. Data from Minnesota POST indicates that Moose Lake will be the 36th department in the North Star State to disband in the last seven years.
It’s not unheard of for budget-balancers to seek new ways to save money, and various consolidation or contract arrangements can often give the taxpayers more bang for their buck. That being said, the need for cops doesn’t go away. Moose Lake’s contract with the local sheriff’s office is expected to provide them with four deputies (a contingent of cops slightly larger than the three they had before). You can change who’s wearing what colored patch, but society will always need someone to catch the bad guys.
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