No ND mutual aid for nearly a year “detrimental” Moorhead Police Chief says

MOORHEAD, Minn. (KVRR) – Moorhead’s police chief says it’s been difficult for his department not to have mutual aid from North Dakota law enforcement for almost a year.

A Minnesota law that went into effect in March of 2021 changed how officers can use deadly force if a reasonable apparent threat of death or great bodily harm is present. It replaced the word apparent.

Most of the law was struck down by a judge who says it took away officers’ fifth amendment right to due process.

Despite this, North Dakota law enforcement still hasn’t offered mutual aid in Minnesota so they can learn more about it since they could be criminally charged for violating it.

“It’s extremely detrimental because being in a metro area this size, there’s critical incidents that can happen and you need the influx of a lot of people in a short amount of time. And anybody that’s familiar with our area knows that once you get outside of Fargo-Moorhead, it gets rural pretty fast,” Moorhead Police Chief Shannon Monroe said.

Since October, Moorhead Police and Clay County Sheriff’s Office haven’t offered mutual aid in North Dakota because Monroe says they can’t keep up without help.