Law enforcement training program gets boost in funding

Gov. Tim Walz has announced a $4.5 million funding plan to get more police officers on the job across Minnesota.

The governor’s office says the plan is for that money to ease the financial strain for 100 aspiring officers, which comes at a time where police recruitment has dropped and 2,500 officers across the state are set to retire next year. The money will pay for the candidate’s education and salary while they train after making a career transition into law enforcement.

As reported by 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS earlier this year, 50 candidates were sponsored from an initial $2.5 million grant, and those candidates attended an intensive training program at Alexandria Technical and Community College, as well as Hennepin Technical College.

Rep. Dan Wolgamott (DFL-St. Cloud) says the state is facing a workforce law enforcement crisis. He’s working to get a bill approved that would allow officers who are at least 55 years old to collect retirement pay while they continue to work – an incentive to keep them on the job longer.

“Minnesota is experiencing a law enforcement, workforce crisis that poses a direct threat to the safety and security of our communities,” said Wolgamott.

Walz made the announcement at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday in Brooklyn Park. You can watch the full news conference in the video player above.