April 2024. Blues Vol 40 No. 4

Smaller agencies in

Smaller agencies in smaller towns face unique challenges, and a tiny department in Minnesota is no exception. Moose Lake, Minnesota, has slightly more than 2,700 citizens and law enforcement was being provided by just one officer as of February, as a result of ongoing budget cuts and a rash of officer resignations. But at a recent meeting, the town decided that even that was too much. In a 3–2 vote, the city council chose to disband the police department. Apparently, public safety costs make up the majority of the city’s budget. They plan to save money by contracting with the county sheriff’s office to provide coverage to the town. The details of the new arrangement will take some time to finalize, but the Moose Lake Police Department will soon be no more. Despite the obvious difficulty the City faced in reaching the contentious decision (the two council members who voted against the move felt strongly about keeping the department), they aren’t alone. Data from Minnesota POST indicates that Moose Lake will be the 36th department in the North Star State to disband in the last seven years. It’s not unheard of for budget-balancers to seek new ways to save money, and various consolidation or contract arrangements can often give the taxpayers more bang for their buck. That being said, the need for cops doesn’t go away. Moose Lake’s contract with the local sheriff’s office is expected to provide them with four deputies. And then there were none. Moose lake PD disbanded. TEEN RUNS AT CALIF. DEPU- TY WITH BLADED GARDENING TOOL BEFORE FATAL OIS APPLE VALLEY, CA — The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department has released body camera footage from the fatal officer-involved shooting of a 15-year-old wielding a bladed gardening tool, KCAL reported. The March 9 incident occurred when 911 callers reported that Ryan Gainer, 15, was using the 5-foot-long tool to assault family members and damage property, according to the report. Video shows that Gainer confronted deputies when they arrived at the home. In the video, one deputy can be seen approaching the front door of the residence. As he nears the door, Gainer can be seen running toward the deputy with the tool in hand, apparently unprovoked. The officer begins to back away. The video then includes body camera from the second deputy to arrive at the scene, who was standing several yards away from the door as the first deputy approached it. The footage shows Gainer emerging from the home and running at the first deputy, who then turned around and pointed his gun at Gainer. The second deputy then raised his weapon and pointed it at 74 The Blues - April ‘24

The Blues - April ‘24 75