St. Louis County Adds New Sheriff’s Deputies

DULUTH, Minn – It was a day of ceremony for six new deputies who were sworn in… while nine current deputies were recognized for their promotions. The youngest of the new officers is Madison Sand at 20 years old.  She decided to enter law enforcement while in High School.  To get through the schooling as soon as possible, for the last two years of high school she took college courses through the PSEO program.  When she graduated from high school she already had her two-year associate’s degree. as she finished high school.

Madison Sand, said, “So I graduated and then I went to law enforcement school because I really wanted to be a cop.  At that point in time, I joined a fire department and found a love for public safety.”

Law Enforcement leaders throughout the state would like to see more young people make the same decision to work in public safety.  St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsey says throughout the state there are about 12 hundred openings in the law enforcement field. And even with adding these six new officers, his department is still short of officers.

“In the law enforcement realm, we’ve got about 8 more vacancies,” said Sheriff Gordon Ramsey. “So we had the start yesterday. And really it used to be a yearly hiring process. Now it’s continuous, it’s when you can find someone and a good candidate, you better grab them before someone else does.”

One of the problems with finding new, interested candidates is a State requirement that many law enforcement officials believe should be stricken down.

“One of the things that makes Minnesota unique is that you have to go to a school that is law enforcement accredited, “said Ramsey. “So that’s a filter that limits candidates.  But if we have someone that’s got a biology or marketing degree and their 30s or 40s, they’re not going to quit and go back to school.”

States, such as Wisconsin and Iowa have state-run law enforcement academies that the state pays for. In Minnesota, it’s generally up to the candidate to pay, unless they receive a grant. Ramsey would like to see such an academy in Minnesota.

“I think the answer is a state academy where the state pays for it,” said Gordon. “And we can bring people in that way. There’s just not enough candidates to fill the vacancies and there are some organizations that are in crisis because they’re not filling the seats.”

In his welcoming remarks to the new officers, Ramsey stressed that he wants all of his deputies to reach out and connect with community members so that more people may begin to think of law enforcement as a career.