Moose Lake votes 3-2 to end police department, cut costs

The Moose Lake City Council voted 3-2 on Wednesday to disband its police department and contract with the Carlton County Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement services.

The community of 2,600 people southwest of Duluth was down to a single police officer after two resigned over the summer and two others quit last month.

A sharp increase in health insurance premiums means the city would have needed to spend 87 percent of its property tax revenue to maintain an independent force.

Supporters of the plan say sheriff’s deputies could provide more patrol hours at a lower cost.

But Mayor Ted Shaw urged the council not to act quickly, saying that once the department is disbanded, it would take a lot of money to re-establish it if the situation changed in the future.

“You go to a contract, and all the equipment and the vehicles and everything has been sold or donated, however that’s going to happen,” he said. “You’re going to need half a million or more to start up again.”

Council member Douglas Juntunen says the deputies could cover more shifts at a lower cost than the city’s own department.

“We do not have the tax base to keep doing what we’re doing, unfortunately. It’s not negative towards any of the law enforcement personnel who’ve donned the badge,” Juntunen said. “I greatly respect each and every one of you.”

Around three dozen Minnesota law enforcement agencies have disbanded in the last eight years because of cost pressures and hiring difficulties.