ALEXANDRIA — One big highlight in Alexandria Police Chief Scott Kent’s annual report was use of force.
“Within our budget, we dedicate a significant amount of time, energy and financial resources to the use of force and de-escalation training,” Kent noted in the report, which was approved by the Alexandria City Council Monday.
Kent said his department uses four core values for handling challenging situations – dependability, teamwork, service to others and empathy.
Last year, the Alexandria Police Department responded to 16,554 calls, including 29 use of force situations and officers deployed a taser only once.
“While tasers are an important and effective tool, the most significant takeaway here is that we are focused on looking after our community,” Kent said. “Our goal is not to engage in conflict but to prevent harm – to both our officers and community members – by approaching situations with a servant’s heart and deep empathy. We are confident that this commitment to training, coupled with core values, enables us to serve our community in ways that exceed expectations.”
The total use of force applications in the last four years were 29 in 2024, 31 in 2023, 35 in 2022 and 32 in 2021. During that span, tasers were used eight times.
Police officers must complete training relating to use of force, including three hours of online training through the Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training and a POST-approved eight hours in service training, according to Kent.
The department uses the Alexandria Technical and Community College’s facilities for training.
Officers are also trained in conflict resolution and crisis management topics.
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Kent said his department faced some major crimes in 2024, including frauds and a significant bank robbery . He added that the bank robbery was swiftly resolved thanks to “incredible coordination between our department and other agencies.”
As part of the robbery investigation, the department posted on social media to help identify the suspect in the hours following the robbery.
“Unfortunately, the post sparked a wave of negative comments that were so overwhelming, it forced us to take it down. But rather than let this setback discourage us, we chose to turn it into an opportunity for growth. In response, the Alexandria Police Department, in partnership with the Inclusion Network, organized a community forum right at the police department.”
More than 100 people attended the forum. “We had an open and honest discussion about the harmful nature of these comments and how we can move forward together as a stronger, more supportive community.”
Other highlights from the report:
The West Central Minnesota Drug and Violent Crime Task Force comprises seven counties, including Douglas. The task force has eight assigned special agents. In 2024, the agents initiated 257 new causes. The majority of the cases involved narcotics. Agents executed 149 search warrants and helped arrest 176 individuals. Drugs purchased or seized in 2024 include: meth – 12,666 grams, cocaine – 1,456 grams, marijuana – 1,437 grams, heroin – 45 grams, fentanyl powder – 96 grams, fentanyl pills – 301 doses/units, and psilocybin mushrooms – 25 grams.
Calls that increased in 2024 compared to 2023 included red tagging vehicles (up 61%), information (up 29%), burning complaints (up 20%), drug disposal (up 17%), motorist assists (up 13%), alarms (up 12%) and record checks (up 11%).
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Calls that decreased included drug-related activity (down 51%), school patrol (down 29%), suspicious persons (down 27%) and burglaries (down 11%).
There were 149 hit-and-run crashes reported last year, which is up 14% from 2023’s 131. Property damage crashes decreased 8% – dropping from 494 to 454. Personal injury crashes stayed the same, at 44. No fatalities were reported.
Officers made 2,554 traffic stops. That’s down 21% from last year but up 50% from the five-year average.
Missing person incidents increased 33%, going from 21 cases in 2023 to 28 last year.
There were 174 harassment cases, down 7 percent from last year. Threats also decreased, going from 122 to 102, a 16% drop.
Theft cases increased slightly, going from 371 in 2023 to 378 last year, up 2%.There were 185 fraud and attempted fraud incidents, a 16% decrease from 2023’s 219.
There were 78 suicide threats (down 25%), one suicide and eight suicide attempts (down 33%).
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Sexual assaults increased from 21 to 28, a 33% increase. Other violent crimes included 10 assaults (down 38%), 67 fight calls (down 27%), 284 noise complaints/disturbances (up 27%), two robberies (same as 2023), and 244 domestic calls (down 1%).
The investigation team investigated fraud cases totaling more than $1 million. In one case, the victim lost over $500,000. Another case involved check fraud at a local business and more than $25,000 was returned to the victim. Last May, officers responded to an armed robbery at Bremer Bank. A suspect was arrested within 19 hours of the robbery.
School resource officers responded to about 725 school related calls for service within the city limits. Calls included mental health, juvenile trouble, threats, fights/assaults, thefts, check welfare, medicals, school traffic patrols, driving complaints, public assists, crashes and child protection.
The team of Community Service Officers includes one full-time and two seasonal, part-time employees. They handled a variety of non-emergency calls, including motorist assists, animal complaints, minor accidents in parking lots, evening door checks, park patrols and business checks. “They help with many of the day-to-day functions within the police department to keep things running smoothly,” Kent said.
Group quarters zoning request approved on 3-2 vote
The most controversial item of the meeting was a 3-2 vote to approve a conditional use permit for Travis Kloehn, who plans to offer rental units to unrelated young professionals who are transitioning into the area for work.
Kloehn requested and received his request for group quarters for four unrelated people. The property is at 1021 Benjamin Drive. At the Planning Commission meeting, two residents in the neighborhood expressed concerns regarding increased traffic, narrow streets, limited parking, and the need to keep the family-centered characteristics of the neighborhood.
During the council's public comment period at the start of the meeting, Danielle Meinert urged the council to vote against the permit. She was worried that it would set a precedent for more group quarters requests. She said the council has a fiduciary duty to support the neighborhood rather than one individual seeking a permit.
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The two council members who voted against the permit, Scott Allen and Carl Kvale, raised several concerns about the conditional use process for group quarters. They said it would be unfair to the neighborhood, negatively impact property values in that area and questioned if approving the request would encourage more group quarters.
Kvale said the request "flies in the face" of the ordinance itself that allows only single-family homes. Kvale said he's been selling real estate for 27 years and property value is hard to assess, varying from person to person. He also challenged the permit's "findings of fact" that property values would not depreciate as a result of group quarters.
Council member Bill Franzen suggested that Kvale should abstain from voting because Kvale is the owner of rental units.
"I respectfully disagree," Kvale said, adding that his real estate background gives an added insight into the issue.
Kvale said there is a bad housing crunch right now and there may be more group quarters requests. He said he's concerned about what the impact will be.
City Planner Mike Weber and City Attorney Tom Jacobson reminded the council that in order to vote against a conditional use permit the council must rely only on the facts and the city's zoning regulations, which date back to the 1970s.
Weber said the findings of fact are black and white. Allen disagreed. Weber disagreed with Allen. Weber said the city code expressly allows group quarters whether the council likes it or not.
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"Why do we even vote then?" Allen asked. Weber said that state law provides the framework for zoning rules and the council makes the final decision whether a permit meets all the requirements in the city's zoning rules.
Mayor Bobbie Osterberg wrapped up the debate by saying that the city has a set of rules and the council has to base its decisions on that.
In other zoning action, the council:
- Agreed to issue a conditional use permit to ALP Utilities to build a new water tower west of the round-about intersection of County Roads 82 and 42, south of the YMCA. A new tower will build capacity to meet expected growth. Site preparations will begin in 2025, the foundation will be poured in 2026 and the tower will be erected and operational in 2027. Brian Dahl, manager of water distribution at ALP Utilities, said the city’s existing three towers function collectively as a water supply for the entire community and the new tower would be incorporated into that model.
- Approved a conditional use permit allowing the owner of the Skyline Apartments to expand an existing multi-family structure by adding four units. The footprint of the apartments, located at 605 30th Ave. West, will remain unchanged. Additional units will be added to the existing structure.
- Approved a conditional use and final plat for the Oak Knoll Arms First Addition. The owner, Patrick Collins, wants to create three conveyable lots for single-family homes.. At the planning commission meeting, two residents in the area expressed concern about the traffic. The final plat was approved with four conditions – a final drainage plan, evidence of title, connections to public utilities and payment of the required park dedication contribution of $1,500.
Alexandria joins GreenStep Cities
Alexandria will participate in the “Minnesota GreenStep Cities” program that focuses on cost saving and energy use reduction and encourages civic innovation.
It’s a volunteer challenge, assistance and recognition program to help cities achieve sustainability and quality of life goals.
The program is free. No city resources are being committed to the program.
It’s managed by a state agency nonprofit partnership based on 29 best practices. Each best practice can be achieved by completing one or more actions at a 1, 2 or 3-star level, from a list of four to eight actions. The actions are tailored to all Minnesota cities.
The program provides cost-effective sustainable development best practices in five categories: buildings and lighting, transportation, land use, environmental management, and economic and community development.
The GreenStep program was established by a broad coalition of public and private stakeholders, including the League of Minnesota Cities, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, the Office of Energy Security and Clean Energy Resource Teams.
Mayor Bobbie Osterberg was appointed to serve at the city’s GreenStep coordinator for best practice documentation and implementation. A Greenstep Cities Task Force, sponsored by ALP Utilities, will serve as the city’s GreenStep coordination team.
The task force will work at its own pace, working with community members and other units of government in the planning, promoting and/or implementing the GreenStep Cities' best practices.
Naming rights approved for Knute Nelson Memorial Park
Naming rights were approved to help pay for ongoing improvements at Knute Nelson Memorial Park.
The Alexandria Youth Baseball Association has secured more than $50,000 from Judy and Vern Anderson, the Cardinal Athletic Foundation and Hilltop Lumber.
The city council needs to approve the labeling of any item or fixture with a donor’s name from a contribution of $50,000 or more. Naming rights were approved for:
Concession stand – “Judy and Vern’s Concessions.”
Press box – “Cardinal Athletic Foundation Press Box.”
Grand stand – “Hilltop Lumber Grandstand.”
The naming rights will be in place for 15 years.
The AYBA is providing $275,000 for the improvements over the course of five years.
RCC to receive technology improvements
Information technology equipment will be installed at the Runestone Community Center .
City staff will review the IT plan and furniture, fixtures and equipment, FFE, as part of the RCC’s renovation and expansion project.
City staff said that the entire IT infrastructure in the building should be updated at the same time and it makes sense to do it in conjunction with the construction project.
The estimated total cost for the work is $100,669. A total of $83,277 of the cost will be allocated to the FFE budget for the project and $17,392 from the IT Equipment Fund, which has a current balance of $113,189.
The Trust Project
