ELY – The Ely Police Department is now ready to handle any active shooter situation, thanks to several community organizations. All seven members of the department received the Shield 616 Armor Package at a recent city council meeting.

Jake Skifstad, president and founder of Shield 616, said local law enforcement now have top-of-the-line gear as he presented the equipment during the Feb.19 council meeting. “The common theme that we hear is that it gives these officers courage and boldness to go toward danger,” he said. “We want to make sure that every agency that reaches out to us is fully equipped.”

The seven vests and equipment, valued at $1,500 for each set, were purchased from Shield 616 by Twin Metals of Minnesota, with three Ely-area church organizations, Oasis Church, St. Anthony Church, and Ely Gospel Men’s Group, providing spiritual and emotional support.

Each of the seven packages includes a military grade ballistic helmet, front and back armor plates, armor plate carrier vest and a trauma kit, according to Skifstad, a former International Falls police officer.

While he worked in Colorado, he was involved in two active shooter situations, one at the largest church in Colorado in 2007 and the other at a Planned Parenthood clinic in 2015. “At the 2015 situation, five officers were shot and one officer was killed,” Skifstad said.

“We all see what is going on with law enforcement across the country. We see all these very violent situations that are happening and that law enforcement have to deal with. There is a lot of hostility directed toward our law enforcement. We want to remind them that Ely is a town worth fighting for,” he said.

Shield 616 has worked with communities in 18 states to equip hundreds of police officers for active shooter situations. In addition to providing equipment, the organization works with communities to provide spiritual and emotional support for law enforcement personnel and their families. “It is truly fun to see the entire Ely community rally around this effort and support the police to make sure our protectors are protected,” he said.

Ely Police Chief John Lahtonen expressed his gratitude to Shield 616 and the community in providing the equipment for the police force. “This is totally amazing and hard to even believe,” he said.

Other business

In other business, the council:

Approved staff to attend the Minnesota Municipal Clerks and Finance Officer Association annual conference in St. Cloud, March 19-22.

Approved the police chief to attend the 2019 ETI Conference and Law Enforcement Expo in St. Cloud, April 14-17.

Approved a recommendation from the projects committee to revise the purchase agreement from $16,000 to $10,000 for the purchase of the Ely Veterinary Clinic lot by Dr. Chip Hanson.

Approved a $50,000 grant from IRRRB for the Downtown Beautification Project.

Agreed with the recommendation from the Employee Relations Committee to award the position of assistant building engineer/equipment operator to John Sjoberg

Approved the note and mortgage for Brian and Karen Maverick for $10,000 for window replacement at 415 E Chapman St.

Adopted a resolution requesting the U.S. Forest Service to reinstate the lottery permitting system for motor use permits in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

Approved the first reading of a revised and amended ordinance regarding peddlers, solicitors, transient merchants, mobile food carts and mobile food vehicles.

Approved a resolution in support of increasing Local Government Aid in the 2019 legislative session.