Elko Speedway is one place in Minnesota where speeding is legal. The only tickets issued there are for admission to the racetrack. However, no one is issuing speeding tickets on the streets of Elko New Market either. The city, just south of Lakeville, has dropped their cops.
All of the city's police cruisers are locked away in a dark garage that adjoined the city library. As of midnight Friday morning, the Elko New Market P.D. no longer patrols the streets. When someone in that city calls 911, the response is from the Scott County Sheriff's Department.
This concerns Councilmember Dennis Melgaard. His was one of 2 "no" votes when the City Council voted 3-2 Thursday evening to close down the local department. "We don't have a lot of crime here, but who knows? It could happen."
Councilmember and restaurant owner Bob Hanna says such fears are unfounded. "That's one thing I'd like to make clear is, We are protected 24 hours a day by the Scott County Sheriff." Hanna was one of the 3 "yes" votes. His disagreement with Melgaard is indicative of the split in the city's population. There are fewer than 4,000 people living in Elko New Market now, but the signs of new construction are everywhere. The town is expanding, but feeling the pinch from cutbacks in state aid. Hanna notes that the Council already cut the Police budget by $17,000 this year. "If they're in that tight of a budget, what is gonna happen in the future?"
Hanna compares Elko New Market to Norwood Young America and sees a better bottom line. "It's a tremendous savings. It would save close to a million dollars over a 4-5 year period." City Administrator Thomas Terry insists he is only trying to present factual information in the dispute. His analysis of the savings favored keeping the present Police Department. The savings of that over contracting with the County Sheriff? "Approximately $15,000 per year under current service levels."
Needless to say, Councilmember Melgaard prefers Terry's figures to Hanna's. Melgaard wants to keep the cops. "Well, we spent a lot of money getting this police department built up as it is and now it's just gonna get shot down. I mean it just doesn't make sense."
Underlying the money issue is a controversy over alleged racial profiling by two former city police officers. Hanna says the ACLU is investigating the complaints and he fears the potential of a costly legal battle. "And my thought was to stop it before it goes any further, not only because of the budget. Now, you're bringing the race issue into it and I thought enough was enough."
Melgaard dismisses Hanna's fears. "There's been investigations through Dakota County, Scott County, Lakeville Police and they (the officers) were exonerated. There was no charges filed".
Regardless, the 8 person police department in Elko New Market can begin seeking new employment. They remain on the payroll until May 13th, but only to perform administrative duties and to wrap up any pending cases and paperwork. The city must now begin negotiations with Scott County to have a "Town Deputy" assigned to spend 40-80 hours a week patrolling the Elko New Market.
Melgaard is skeptical. "We have no guarantee that we could hire the county. The Commissioners haven't said nothing. The County Administrator hasn't said anything...it went from a money issue to an ethnic issue...it just got blowed out of proportion."
The city has always depended on the Scott County Sheriff's for response at night and most weekends. A "town deputy" would be police service above and beyond that, at a price.
(Copyright 2009 by KARE. All Rights Reserved.)
