by Logan Gruber
Police Chief Perry Beise laid out the department’s hiring plan for the foreseeable future at the May 26 council meeting.
Beise said the department currently: is short one officer; another officer is being assigned to the Central Minnesota Violent Offender Task Force; and, another officer will retire in the fall.
The department has been holding interviews for new officers since April, but Beise implied it takes a long time to hire the right people.
“It’s a rather arduous process to hire officers,” he said.
A second round of interviews is expected to take place June 2, with the council possibly approving a conditional hire of one officer at their June 8 meeting. If there isn’t a consensus on who to hire before the June 8 meeting, the meeting likely won’t be held, and any and all city business will move to the June 22 meeting.