Oct. 25 -- NORTHWOOD, N.D. -- The City of Northwood is waiting until its advertisement for a local chief of police closes before deciding its path forward for policing services, Mayor Karl Broeren said.
The city is advertising for a new chief of police, and the ad is visible on the city's Facebook page. The ad closes on Nov. 15. Broeren has also approached the Larimore City Council to let the members know that Northwood is considering approaching them with the idea of a co-op.
"That visit was just to tell them that we are considering -- it was not to ask any kind of permission or anything," he said. "If we decide to go down that route, I'll go back up there and then we'll talk. ... We don't know if we're going to be coming back. We don't know what our situation is."
Additionally, Northwood has been in talks with the Grand Forks County Sheriff's Office and Sheriff Andy Schneider about
contracting with the county
for one or two officers. In the meantime, a county deputy will be within five to 10 minutes of the city.
on Oct. 3, the council made two decisions: to advertise for a local police chief while continuing contract negotiations with the county, as well as having Broeren speak at a Larimore City Council meeting about the consideration of a co-op, as Larimore is already contracting with the county.
Previous Chief of Police Mark Pollert resigned on Sept. 30, leaving the town without any local police presence. He voiced his support for the idea of contracting with the county.
Schneider and Broeren explained that a contract would mean a new officer is sworn in under the city, allowing that person to enforce city ordinances. However, some members of the public and City Council voiced concerns over a contract and their desire for local policing services, which led to the decision to post an ad for a few weeks.
The advertisement was posted to Northwood's Facebook page on Oct. 15 and will close Nov. 15. It marks the starting salary for a local chief of police at $62,000 based on experience and education, with the possibility of an increase of $3,000 after a 90-day probationary period.
A full description of the job and application can be obtained at Northwood City Hall, by calling 701-587-6301 or by emailing
norcity@polarcomm.com
. An application is also available through Job Service of North Dakota.
Broeren said he'll wait to look at applicants until the ad closes.
"I'm not going to ask how many or who or anything else until that day, because I don't want to get involved until I get names," he said. "We're keeping our options open."