Support the Timberjay by making a donation.

Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

Should Cook restore its city police?

Higher LGA has more cities bring back services trimmed in tough times

Tom Klein
Posted 7/29/15

COOK – Councilors here heard a proposal to restore the city’s police department on at least a part-time basis.

Councilors made no commitment, but asked for more information on the costs of …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Should Cook restore its city police?

Higher LGA has more cities bring back services trimmed in tough times

Posted

COOK – Councilors here heard a proposal to restore the city’s police department on at least a part-time basis.

Councilors made no commitment, but asked for more information on the costs of restoring service and grants that might be available to help defray some of the city’s expenses.

Danny Reing, who has worked as a police officer in Warroad and Breitung Township, brought the proposal to the Cook City Council at its July 23 meeting.

Reing said the city, which currently does not contract with any agency for law enforcement but relies on the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office, puts citizens at risk. The sheriff’s office has access to the former police building, and uses it as a station, but keeps no regular hours there.

“The sheriff’s office can’t respond as quickly to an emergency or complaint as a local law enforcement agency could,” Reing said.

Nancy Reing, who works for the Cook Ambulance Service, shares her son’s concerns. She noted that when ambulance personnel respond to domestic assaults, they have to wait for law enforcement before they can enter the premises.

“Sometimes we’re waiting for 30 to 35 minutes or more for an officer to arrive,” she said, adding that in some cases, they have heard the people inside pleading for help.

Cook maintained a police department for years, but cut its law enforcement program in 2008 in the wake of cuts to Local Government Aid. Several other Range cities did the same, but some have since restored their police.

Tower had contracted with the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement, but opted to instead contract with neighboring Breitung Township in late 2012.

Tower Clerk-Treasurer Linda Keith said the city is getting a “better bang for its buck” by contracting with Breitung.

Under the contract, the city is guaranteed an officer for 12 hours per day, seven days per week. Breitung has two full-time officers and four part-time officers for the police department.

When they contracted with the county, the city had a deputy in town for four 10-hour days. However, the sheriff’s department was not obligated to provide a substitute when the deputy was on vacation and the deputy could be pulled whenever needed by the sheriff’s office.

“We sometimes would be without an officer for 10 days,” said Keith.

The contract with Breitung also requires the city to provide its own squad car and purchase gas. The yearly contract costs the city $95,000, which is covered by city taxes.

The arrangement has worked so well that Tower is in talks to merge its fire department with Breitung Township’s department. Should that happen, the township and city are discussing construction of a joint public safety building that would house not only the combined fire department, but also ambulance services and police for both communities.

Reing suggested that Cook follow Tower’s example and said there are renewable grants available to help underwrite the cost of restoring a police department. He said his salary was paid with such a grant when he worked at Warroad.

Reing said the city had a police service when he was growing up in the community and now that he has moved back, he would like to see it restored for the protection and safety of Cook’s current citizens.

Councilors asked Reing to return with more information on costs and grants available, indicating they would consider his proposal.