Friends and neighbors,
I remember back in grade school our teachers asked us what we wanted to be when we grew up. The two most popular answers were always police officer and firefighter.
That’s not the case these days, and it’s sad. We are facing a crisis in the number of licensed officers available in Minnesota to even apply for the job openings we have. While this trend is the most pronounced in the metro, many rural communities like ours have struggled to recruit new officers to live and work in their communities.
Law enforcement positions are opening up faster than they can be replaced by retirement or resignation. In 2021 alone, The Star Tribune reported Minnesota saw 32 Police Chiefs retire. The Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Board Job board shows openings for licensed peace officers in at least 65 agencies. Minneapolis and St. Paul have nearly 300 open positions to fill as of last month.
This week we unveiled our first step to help close these gaps and address rising crime. It’s called the C.O.P.S. Program, and it will help police departments around the state attract and retain new officers.
It’s comprehensive. It contains ideas to remind the public that law enforcement is an honorable profession, provide hiring bonuses for new officers, and several programs for student aid for prospective law enforcement officers. I created two of the proposals in the program:
- First, we will offer scholarships to students who are pursuing law enforcement education at schools in the Minnesota State system. There has been a drastic drop in enrollment in these important programs, and scholarships will help more students afford to go into this high-need field.
- Second, we will invest new resources into the Pathways to Policing program. This is a proven and award-winning program that provides high-quality training opportunities for non-traditional entrants into the police force. These are people who have served their communities in other capacities, and want to make a transition to law enforcement as a second career, many times right where they already live.
These programs address serious workforce concerns with money, but more important than any of that is for all of us to recognize and value the work from police officers. They are committed, put their lives at risk, and they do it as a public service. We shouldn’t belittle their hard work or sacrifice or cast aspersions to an entire profession.
I know Minnesotans are with us on this. When Officer Matson was severely injured in the line of duty, the local community stood up and supported his family in every way possible. Minnesotans know police officers risk their lives to keep us safe. We need government policy to reflect that support, and we need public officials to join with us as we say we support law enforcement.
Contact me
If you have any questions about the C.O.P.S. program, crime or public safety in general, or any other legislative topic, feel free to contact me any time at sen.john.jasinski@senate.mn or 651-296-0284. It is a privilege to serve you!