Blackduck Considering Shutting Down Police Department

The Blackduck Police Department could soon be shutting its doors following a public hearing scheduled for Monday, Mar. 16 at Blackduck City Hall.

The Blackduck City Council will be taking public comments during this hearing regarding the elimination of the city’s police department and contracting for law enforcement services with the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office.

During a previous meeting, council members discussed how methods to recruit more officers to the department have failed, which led to the city to consider disbanding it.

“The new facility, the new squad [car], these were supposed to be drawing points,” said Blackduck Mayor Maxwell Gullette. “They were supposed to attract that officer, and it’s not working.”

“Essentially, you could say we don’t have, really have a police department now,” said city councilor Ronald Fredrickson. “We don’t have an officer. We’ve had this, a position listed for quite some time, years I believe, and we have … no one viable, no one interested.”

Since 2022, at least one police department in the state of Minnesota has shut down per year. The City of Motley previously discussed potential disbandment in 2023, and the City of Bagley is currently reviewing its department for such a move.