City Council Meeting Date: May 7, 2024
To: Mayor and City Council
City Administrator
From: Mark Elliott, Chief of Police
Title
Oath of Office Ceremony for Northfield Police Department Officers and Sergeants.
Body
Action Requested:
City Clerk, Lynette Peterson, will administer the Oath or Affirmation of Office to Police Officers Leah Hedberg, Steven Fisher, and Griffin Haas, and to Sergeants David Jandro and Mark Kohn.
Summary Report:
Leah Hedberg, Steven Fisher, and Griffin Haas were hired in the last several months to fill vacancies for the position of Police Officer. David Jandro and Mark Kohn were promoted to the rank of Sergeant. These vacancies were a result of the departure of several patrol officers and sergeant. We will be ceremoniously administering the Oath of Office to them as they assume their new role in the Police Department. This ceremony will be done in person in front of the City Council.
Police Chief Mark Elliott will introduce the Officers and City Clerk Lynette Peterson will administer the Oath of Office. Following the oath, councilors will take a photo with the officers and are encourage to congratulate the Officers on their new role. Members of the Police Department and friends and family of the new officers are expected to be in attendance and will leave the Council Chambers immediately following this agenda item.
Officer Leah Hedberg was a Police Officer in Madelia, a Detention Deputy with Rice County, a Community Service Officer with Owatonna PD, and a former reserve officer with Northfield prior to that. Leah has an AS degree in Law Enforcement and Corrections from Riverland Community College.
Officer Steven Fisher was a Police Officer with Apple Valley and a Deputy with both Carver County and Hennepin County Sheriff Departments prior to joining our team. He has several years of experience working in multiple roles in criminal justice. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire with a BA in Law Enforcement.
Officer Griffin Haas was a Deputy with the Rock County Sheriff’s Department and worked for Dakota County parks, as well as being a former reserve officer with Northfield. Griffin has an AAS degree in Law Enforcement from Inver Hills Community College.
Sergeant David Jandro has been with the department since 2013. He started as a Community Service Officer, before moving to a police officer. Dave was a patrol officer and field training officer for many years. He serves on the south metro SWAT team. He is a firearms instructor and oversees our field training program. He has a degree from Vermillion Community College.
Sergeant Mark Kohn has been with the department since 2013. Mark was a patrol officer and most recently a detective. Mark is one of our DARE instructors, reality-based training instructor and a former SWAT team member and FTO. He has a degree in Criminal Justice from Winona State University.
The officers are currently in the Field Training program where they are assigned to a Field Training Officer (FTO). The FTO works with the new officer on every shift and instructs them on learning their job as a police officer. During the field training process new officers are evaluated daily through observation and written reports of their performance by the FTO. Officers are generally in field training for their first six months on the job.
Alternative Options:
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Financial Impacts:
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Tentative Timelines:
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