While the left's "Defund Movement" — defunding police forces by "systematic reallocation of funds from police departments to better-qualified social service and public health agencies" — failed spectacularly across the country as crime rates continued to rise, the shortage of police officers remains acute throughout Minnesota nearly four years after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

In August 2023, the entire police force resigned in Goodhue, Minnesota. In total, 35 municipal police departments throughout the state have been shut down since 2016, according to records kept by the Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training.

Welp, after a City Council Vote on Wednesday, Moose Lake, Minnesota became the latest municipality in the state to bite the bullet (no pun intended) and disband its police force, choosing instead to contract with Carlton County for law enforcement. Here's more:

Mayor Ted Shaw was one of the two dissenting votes. He'll work to make a smooth transition, he said, "but I am disappointed."

A contract with the Carlton County Sheriff's Office is expected to include four deputies who will work out of Moose Lake. It is a cheaper option that covers more shifts, in lieu of a three-person police force. 

The City Council chose to reduce the size of a five-person force last fall in order to fund the department, opting against replacing two of the officers who had resigned. Two others resigned in January, leaving one on the force.

Moose Lake, 40 minutes southwest of Duluth, is one of many smaller cities struggling to keep up with public safety demands amid increasing costs and a shortage of officers throughout the state.

The contract with Carlton County is projected to cost Moose Lake roughly about $665,000 annually and is expected to provide just four deputies who work out of the city.

Incidentally, Moose Lake is the home of the Minnesota Correctional Facility, which houses prisoners enrolled in the Minnesota Sex Offender Program. 

Neither Minnesota nor Moose Lake is unique. 

Police departments across the country continue to face recruitment shortages, resignations, and early retirements. An ongoing national police shortage has left multiple metropolitan cities, as well as smaller cities and towns, with insufficient numbers of officers, and a growing number of departments shut down completely, as record-low officer morale, according to experts.

The Bottom Line

While I'm not a law enforcement expert I do know this: 

The left's never-ending attacks on law enforcement — physically, politically, and financially — combined with rising crime rates, the release of repeat offenders, prolonged job stress faced by many officers, and job burnout can lead to chronic fatigue, absenteeism, high turnover rates, alcohol abuse, and worse.

Back in the proverbial day, young boys played "cops and robbers," with the cops usually winning. Today, the bad guys are winning — aided by Democrat politicians.

Related:

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Yet Another Democrat-Run City, Austin TX, Is Learning that 'Defund the Police' Doesn't Work

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