Law Enforcement Agencies Visit Fond du Lac Tribal and Commmunity College Looking for Applicants

CLOQUET, Minn – It’s a story affecting police and sheriff’s offices across the state. More than 50% of police departments in Minnesota are short-staffed. The Duluth Police Department is more than 20 officers short of its allotted officer slots.

The Peace Officer and Criminal Justice Expo was held at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College. At the Expo more than 60 agencies from across the Midwest were on hand to talk with people who may be looking for work in the law enforcement community.

The coordinator of the Law Enforcement program at Fond Du Lac Tribal and Community College, Mike Tusken walked through the expo and talked with the exhibitors and heard a consistent theme. ” I made my rounds through here and I talked to each agency. Each agency is sharing the same story, that they’re short, some substantially very short. And they’re all looking for really good, qualified candidates to hire.”

In Fond du Lac’s July graduating class there will be 23 students receiving their diplomas.  In total 60 students are enrolled in the law enforcement program. The size of the classes has recently begun to increase but class size is still far below classes of ten to 15 years ago when 70 students were graduating.

“We are seeing an increase, it is slowly picking up and moving in the right direction,” said Tusken. “I think what’s driving that is there is certainly a need for people to continue to do these very important jobs. And a lot of these employers are now offering better pay and benefits than they ever have.”

Commander Jeff Ronchetti of the Hibbing Police Department says his department is short six officers. To recruit new officers he is traveling across the state to find those who are interested in becoming part of the Hibbing Community. “Anything to help with recruiting officers. The climate has been so negative toward law enforcement, and I think that’s changing. But events like this help change the perspective of the public and the kids who are going into the field.”

Often times a student will enroll in the law enforcement program because they have a history of being around police officers or sheriff’s deputies. That’s true for Shelby Reynolds who changed her major after her first semester at Fond du Lac.

“When I was younger my friend’s parents were cops, a lot of them, said Reynolds.” “It was really cool just seeing them around and in their uniforms. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. So, I really wanted to be in law enforcement when I was younger, but I didn’t really find it to be an achievable goal.”

The shortage of law enforcement personnel will not end any time soon, but Roncheti from the Hibbing Police Department is confident more people will get into the field. “It’s a choice that they have to make, they have to learn what they want to do and how long they’re gonna be able to do it. So, it’s still a tough profession. And it’s difficult mentally, physically and to do that for 20 or 30 years you have to start out young and think that I have time.”