December 1, 2016 at 1:47 p.m.
Lakes Area Police Department transitioning into new era
Lakes Area Police Department transitioning into new era
Lakes Area P.D. has had the equivalent of a dual chief situation for over 10 years, since Chisago City and Lindstrom police operations combined. Stenson has officially been the public-face as chief, but he says, “Bill really knows everything that’s going on. It makes perfect sense for him to be chosen.”
LAPD was established over 10 years ago and it was considered an anomaly that two chiefs would willingly relinquish their territory and share a command. It just wasn’t done.
But, as Stenson explains, this is a unique community here and the dynamics of the community at that moment in time allowed the merger to find success.
Stenson appreciates how the police commission (two elected members from Lindstrom and Chisago each) is now saying, ‘we trust in the job you have been doing’ by not going outside the department in shifting leadership gears.
The police commission has also approved creating a captain position and granting an existing LAPD employee a promotion into that post. With Stenson’s 33 years total in law enforcement off the payroll, this has the net effect of leaving some breathing room in the LAPD budget, he explained.
Stenson is confident no gaps or hurdles exist to upset the department as he exits the last day of this month.
Plus, he’ll still be around.
Stenson ran for Lindstrom city council in November and won by a wide margin.
He explained that alot of police work after-all, is “political” and he knows about working in a fish bowl, using diplomacy and how public service functions.
Early in his life Chief Stenson made a pact with himself that his life would make a difference. Growing up in Coon Rapids, the son of a postal employee, Stenson fulfilled a promise made to an older brother, when he enrolled in community college and earned his associate degree. His first uniformed job was in Le Center, MN. Then, the Tracy Police Dept. became homebase.
A favorite story Stenson tells took place in Tracy.
There was a recluse resident who had a questionable past the town lore connected to the suspicious deaths of two ex-wives. There was never any solid evidence on which to build a case. Still, everybody knew to give this guy his space.
One day at the squadroom, Stenson took a call. A woman who was riding her bicycle cross-country, had been seen putting her bike in this character’s vehicle and accepting a ride. The caller told Officer Stenson she saw them heading to the man’s house.
Stenson drove to the residence, and pretended to have official business with the lady bicyclist. He got to the house, instructed the bike-rider to come with him back to town using a concocted story, and to Stenson’s relief, she did.
Once he told the woman some of the town’s suspicions, she asked Stenson to take her well into the next county and drop her off. He is convinced intervening saved that woman.
Stenson said eventually he and his wife Jackie started considering moving closer to the metro area, where their families were.
He answered an ad for a Lindstrom patrol officer and he was hired. A good friend, from the Tracy P.D. was also settling into a job at the Chisago County sheriff’s department. Just 18 months later Stenson was tapped as “interim” chief for the Lindstrom Police Dept.
(Schlumbohm meanwhile, was an officer at Chisago City P.D. where that department would experience the sudden departure of its chief too.)
The decision to merge has served everybody well, Stenson feels.
The new Lakes Area Police resulted in a larger service territory, greater incident and investigative variety, better chances for advancement and improved staff retention. Keeping employees around is one of the ways Chief Stenson assesses how well the department is doing.
Feedback from the local residents is also a key indicator. He knows the community knows the officers and the officers are around long enough to get to know the community.
“I have enjoyed every minute,” he said of leading the department.
Stenson is also looking forward to having time to be more involved in local sports, especially coaching wrestling while the last of his three kids is still in high school here.
Having spent his adult life in law enforcement Stenson has seen the career adjust to societal swings-- not the least of which would be today’s undercurrent of mistrust and negativity stemming from officer-involved shootings. Body cameras and training will go along way to resolve this.
As far as how he feels about firearms being carried by individuals; Stenson’s opinion is that it just puts another gun out there that an officer has to worry about.
The fact that a suspect declares he has a permit to carry and is armed, is put out there as lending legitimacy or reassuring the officer in the encounter. That’s not how an officer sees it. It’s still-- “I have a gun and now I know he has one too,” Stenson states.
Lindstrom City Council may have nothing to do with the new county jail but if Stenson’s vote were called for, he’d support it. He said the new facility will elevate the level of professionalism of law enforcement and create opportunities to address programming that may reduce the number of repeat offenders. The old jail was obsolete and beyond being an embarrassment. The new jail is “long overdue” he remarked.
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