Category: #ThankACop

I think we all appreciate now more than ever efforts by police departments to increase transparency, communication, and representation with the communities they serve. Relationships are key in law enforcement work, and I applaud the departments and officers who continue to strive to build these relationships with every member of their communities.

Last week, the Waite Park Police Department announced that it had applied for and received a grant from the state of Minnesota for its Pathways to Policing program. Pathways to Policing strives to recruit candidates who are interested in law enforcement as a profession but are currently working in another field. This grant gives Waite Park Police Chief Dave Bentrud the opportunity to hire additional officers who will have both the passion and the ability to become an officer and then start building these relationships even if they are from different professional backgrounds.

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Today, I want you to meet Karla Bearce. Since she was in middle school, Karla has known exactly how she wanted to serve her community and help save lives. And a personal experience has only strengthened that commitment.

In 7th grade civics class, Karla Bearce knew she wanted to work in law enforcement when her local police chief came and spoke to her class. The chief shared that his job was different each and every day, and from that moment on, Karla knew what she wanted to do.

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As October comes to an end, I wanted to highlight some important work that happened across the state of Minnesota on Saturday.

Each year, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration hosts two days designated to collecting unused prescription drugs. Addiction and drug abuse are serious issues many Minnesota families face, and I am grateful to various law enforcement agencies for working to prevent this problem. As many families have faced challenges related to COVID-19 and the resulting economic shutdowns, those struggling with addiction and drug abuse have found new challenges due to disrupted routines and new stressors. Law enforcement’s work is appreciated more this year than ever.

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Today I’m sharing with you one part of the phenomenal work the Benton County Sheriff’s Office is doing to keep our community safe. As I have often said, police work is unpredictable and therefore dangerous, and we remain grateful to all the officers like Deputy Kadlec who put their lives on the line for us every day.

Last week, the St. Cloud Times shared a story about Deputy Brad Kadlec and the K-9 he currently handles, Ragnar. However, Deputy Kadlec has been with the Benton County Sheriff’s Department for eleven years, and he has worked with many K-9s to keep the communities in Benton safe.

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Though they never know what might come their way, law enforcement officers risk their lives everyday to protect us. A situation that developed in the suburbs of Anoka, Ramsey, and Nowthen on the night of October 8 proved to be an example of the unexpected and dangerous nature of an officer’s career in public service.

Early on the morning of October 8, Anoka officers received a call and were sent to investigate a report of a vehicle theft in downtown Anoka. An employee called the police because he noticed that a vehicle was missing even though they still had the keys, and another employee saw that the security camera was missing an hour of footage. A few hours later, Anoka officers received another call from an observer who thought he saw people trying to steal a car. Officers responded to this complaint, saw the car, and noticed it was the same one reported stolen only hours before.

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