Grand Forks City Council approves $50,000 for overtime for officers and others at large events

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (KVRR/KFGO) — The police chief in Grand Forks is concerned about safety at some public events and he wants to increase staffing at those events.

Chief Jason Freedman asked the city council on Monday for $50,000 to cover overtime costs so they can have more officers at large, outdoor events.

The council unanimously approved the motion.

It will help cover overtime for police officers, firefighters, EMS and staff in other city departments who may be asked to help with event security in the future.

“Some of these events if that funding were shifted to the organizers my guess is some of these events probably wouldn’t be viable. That’s not my goal I don’t want to shut down you know these important events,” Freedman told the council.

He says Grand Forks has about 15 to 20 events each year that have a lot of potential vulnerabilities.