Zumbrota mulls disbanding police department
Zumbrota's City Hall and Police Station. Credit: KAAL-TV
The Goodhue County Sheriff’s Office may soon be taking on another municipality within its jurisdiction after the Zumbrota City Council weighed the future of the town’s police department.
Sister station KAAL-TV reports the city has been in contact with the Sheriff’s Office about taking on the policing duties in Zumbrota and is now weighing the removal of the entire department after two officers left for the Sheriff’s Office in August after being offered a pay increase.
Earlier this year, the Goodhue County Sheriff’s Office took over in the City of Goodhue after the mayor and city council approved a contract with the agency to provide law enforcement coverage for the rest of the year.
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Todd Hammel, the mayor of Zumbrota, says the pay scale has put the city’s budget into consideration on how to attract new officers.
No changes will be considered until the city council meeting scheduled for Thursday at 6 p.m.
Zumbrota police say they’re committed to serving this community without distractions on what their future holds. According to KAAL-TV, the current contract between the city and the police department goes through the end of 2025.
The city will be hosting an additional town hall on the matter, separate from Thursday’s council meeting, before the month is over.
According to the city’s website, the Zumbrota Police Department is made of four patrol officers, two sergeants as well as the Police Chief.