Duluth Police Dept. sees significant spike in applications to join force

DULUTH, Minn. — Duluth Police Chief Mike Ceynowa is celebrating a significant increase in applications to become Duluth police officers.

The winter application process recently closed with 41 applicants, which Ceynowa said is unheard of. He said the department usually gets around 10 to 12 applicants.

And on top of that, there is an increase in interest from lateral officers wanting to join the force.
A later officer is someone who has been on the job as a police officer somewhere else for at least three years.

The Duluth Police Department is down 28 officers, so the influx in applications is more than welcomed.

“It makes me feel really good. It also tells me that as a department, we have a really good team environment. What we’re hearing from people who are applying [say], hey, I did a couple of ride-alongs. Your officers are really selling this organization. They’re really proud of the work that they do. They really like the direction the department is going. So, you know, it feels like we’re starting to turn a corner as far as staffing for our agency,” Ceynowa explained.

Right now, a dozen approved applicants are going through the police academy for 11 months before another four months on the streets with a seasoned officer.

Ceynowa said he’s looking forward to getting the patrol department back up to proper staffing so he can bring back proactive resources like a dedicated DWI officer.

“We’re still 12 months out from being able to do that by the time we get people hired and trained, and knowing that we’ll start some in, you know, March and the rest in September. But, it is promising. It’ll allow us to maybe do some different things in 2027 that we are not going to be able to do in 2026,” Ceynowa said.

Ceynowa said the department is approved for 151 officers in 2026, and up to 156 officers with grants.