Unique situation informs coverage, outreach for Blooming Prairie Police Department

Unique situation informs coverage, outreach for Blooming Prairie Police Department Although that may not be Blooming Prairie in the background, it is the city’s 2019 police ofcers lined up in the front of a team photo slightly altered by the agency. From left: Chief Greg Skillestad, Rick Ellingson, Craig Helgeson, Corporal Jake Peterson, Sergeant Mark Lang, Matt Miller, Shane St. John, Aaron Friesen and Dan Peach. (Photo courtesy of the Blooming Prairie Police Department)

“We’d have people come through the front door and want to make a report, and they’d be hitting their heads on paper streamers,” agreed Skillestad. “That was all because of Ofcer Dan Peach. He loves Christmas — I love Christmas, but he loves it more than anybody I know.”

During the warmer months, Skillestad said the agency also started up a National Night Out gathering four years back. Established by the National Association of Town Watch in 1984, the country-wide campaign has now become a recent tradition each August at Blooming Prairie’s Central Park.

Serving hot dogs and sandwiches to community members, Skillestad explained that the money for the event comes out of ofcers’ pockets, with staff chipping in to help fund the local get-together. Because of a recent rule change, he added that his department is now able to solicit for funds specically for National Night Out, although so far the agency hasn’t opted to do so.

Police Chief Greg Skillestad came to the department ve years ago after working with the Steele County Sheriff’s Ofce. In the last few years, he and his ofcers have helped start up annual community events like the agency’s Holiday Open House and National Night Out in Central Park each August. (Bridget Kranz/People’s Press) Like the annual Christmas gathering, Skillestad said being able to meet with residents for holidays and around town has helped make his job easier when there is a crisis to respond to. While he joked that many residents may not want to see him outside of these more celebratory gatherings, when they’re put in that situation, it can be nice to see a familiar face at the door. “When it comes to community policing, we are there … I went and had coffee with some people today and we were able to visit and talk,” said the chief. “When we’re actually going into a scene, we walk in and they can say, ‘Hey, Greg.’” “They’re more apt to open up and talk with you, even at their worst time,” he added. Having a physical presence in town, with the department located inside the City Hall building, Skillestad said he’ll also often get visits in person from residents having issues. “For instance, if I were parked outside, if somebody had to talk to me about the dog barking next door — we would have the doorbell here ringing. People are more apt to stop in and see us,” said Skillestad. Of the municipalities within Steele County, Blooming Prairie is the only one outside of Owatonna to have its own police force. It is also the second largest city in Steele, with nearly 2,000 people according to U.S. Census estimates. Medford is a somewhat close third, with roughly 1,300 residents according to the same data. When it comes to how or why the Blooming Prairie Police Department became its own entity, neither Lang nor Skillestad can remember. However, they noted that there was a Blooming Prairie police chief who was killed in the line of duty as far back as 1951. According to a post on the department’s Facebook page, Chief Neil R. Johnson had served with the agency for three years prior. Assisting with mental health, medical calls Now, Skillestad said one of the department’s main focuses is mental health and related calls, adding that these can often overlap with instances of domestic abuse or medical emergencies — which has led the department to look into additional training for its ofcers. “Mental illness is something that’s a factor, and we’re mandated by the state to do Continued on next page

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Blooming Prairie Police Ofcer Dan Peach assists 9-year-old Ashton Little in picking out a winter coat as part of the Salvation Army’s 2016 Shop with a Cop program. (Press le photo)

[related] training,” he explained. “A big thing is communication, being able to talk somebody down. If we can go in there and talk to somebody and talk them into coming with us — it’s a whole lot better … it prevents injury to the ofcer, it prevents injury to the person. Ultimately, there might not be a crime there. They just need help.”

Skillestad added that mental health-related incidents can also often be linked to domestic situations or medical emergencies. “We nd that we’re doing a lot of medical calls and assisting the ambulance.”

The prevalence of health-related calls has also led the agency to look into getting staff members certied as emergency medical technicians. While Blooming Prairie also has an ambulance unit, it consists of strictly volunteers. According to Skillestad, this means that on-duty police are still often the rst to arrive on scene for a medical emergency. In coordination with other rst responders, Skillestad said his team’s job is also often to secure the scene and make it safe for medics to do their jobs. “We’re in uniform all ready to go — we can be there sometimes within seconds, where it might take minutes for the ambulance. Every second counts, at times,” said Skillestad. Maintaining coverage, receiving outside assistance To this end, he explained that the department always has at least one ofcer on or available, even at night and on weekends. “Typically it’s one ofcer on duty per shift, but we try to cover 24 hours,” the chief explained. “If the ofcer is not patrolling because that ofcer needs sleep, they go on call and they have to respond as fast as they can. We’re also very thankful to be in this corner, where we do have that assistance from other counties.” Because of Blooming Prairie’s location at the edge of Dodge County, the municipal agency will occasionally get assistance from both the Steele and Dodge County sheriff’s ofces. Skillestad added that Mower and Freeborn counties will also sometimes come in — with the city being almost equidistant to both Owatonna and Austin. Having Highway 218 run right through town means Minnesota State Patrol is also often around.

“We’re very fortunate to be on that corner but, at the same time, we have ofcers that are working down here and it’s not uncommon for our back-up to be 10 to 15 minutes away. We’re working alone down here,” added Skillestad.

The extended arm of local law enforcement The Steele County Sheriff’s Mounted Posse is featured in most, if not all, the parades throughout the county. Pictured here, Sheriff Lon Thiele rides front and center with his posse during the Ellendale Days Parade. (People’s Press le photo)

By ANNIE GRANLUND agranlund@owatonna.com

The Steele County Sheriff’s Ofce is responsible for the safety of more than 36,000 citizens across 432 square-miles. The deputies patrol country roads, investigate accidents and crimes, provide security, and do all they can to enhance the safety of the general public under the supervision of Sheriff Lon Thiele, the only elected member of law enforcement in the county. Though the sheriff’s ofce is strong and continually improving, in a bustling area like Steele County even the deputies need a little extra help. This is where the mounted posse and special deputies come into play. The two groups, both of which have been around for decades, are often put into play during public events and civic functions to best serve the community and keep the public safe.