ARTICLE AD BOX
The Bagley City Council hosted a public meeting this past week to consider disbanding the local police department, following a path pursued by a few dozen cities around the state.
Bagley, with a population of nearly 1,300, is the Clearwater County seat. City leaders say the police department accounts for about a third of the annual budget. They're considering contracting with Clearwater County for law enforcement services instead.
The goal, Mayor Duane Lewis told the audience gathered at the public library Wednesday, is to look for cost savings.
"This is for us to be gathering information so we know what to do as a council, if we're going to move forward or if we're not," said Lewis "Why we're here is to see if the city residents are willing to pay more to have that service. At our budget, what it is now, are they willing to pay that? And that's what we have to try to balance."
Bagley City Council member John Sutherland, a former law enforcement officer, said he was in a unique position to consider the proposal.
"I spent 20 years as a cop in the town and for the county, and personally, it's going to take a lot for me to change my mind to get rid of our police department,” he said, as the audience applauded loudly.
Difficult tradeoffs
Earlier in the week, some Bagley residents told MPR News that the town had a drug problem and that eliminating the police department seemed unwise.
At the public forum Wednesday, Bagley Public Library librarian Heidi Moore expressed her concerns about working alone in the library when she said she sees drug deals happening in the parking lot.
She said she asked the police to come by more often, which has slowed the drug activity.
“There is a police presence up here every day, and there are no more drug deals in my parking lot during open hours,” she said. “I don't have to worry about the safety of my patrons coming in and using the library.”
She questioned whether the cost savings from disbanding the police department would be worthwhile.
“You talk about the cost. What is the cost in our safety if we get rid of our police department?" she asked.
A hard decision to reverse
Ryan Schipper, a Bagley police officer, transitioned last week into a part-time role after having worked seven years prior as a full-time officer. He said the change happened because of “budget cuts.”
He remarked that disbanding the police force would be difficult to reverse, should the city have a change of heart. He noted how hard it would be to recruit people back.
"Not many people want to come and work up here when you can go down to the metro area,” he said. “I’ve got friends that are making $60, $70, or $80 an hour, just being beat cops, versus coming up here and working for $20-$30 an hour."
A few years ago, the town of Fosston reversed course on its decision to disband its police department. For about 20 years, the town contracted with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office to provide coverage from two deputies, an arrangement that cost Fosston $250,000 a year.
But the town’s leaders decided more law enforcement resources were necessary. They weighed two options: expand the contract with the sheriff’s department, or start from scratch.
"It became apparent that we could get more service and more community-oriented service by having our own department versus expanding a contract with the sheriff's department," Mayor Jim Offerdahl told MPR News in 2022.
Bagley officials are gathering more information for residents to consider before going forward with any decisions regarding the town’s police department.
English (US) ·