Fargo Police Chief expresses concerns over repeat offenders and other crimes
FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) — “If we don’t have people being held accountable on a prosecution and incarceration side, we’re getting them back. And in some cases, I would argue that we’re still getting some of them back way too soon, they’re coming back into our community, and oftentimes they are reoffending,” said Chief David Zibolski, Fargo Police.
According to the 2025 Crime Statistics report, violent crime has decreased nearly 17% over two years. But crimes such as shoplifting, vehicle break-ins, and mental health calls have become a concern for Zibolski.
“There’s a case for reintegration into the community for someone who’s committed a crime, and that’s fine. But it seems, at least from our perspective, we’re seeing some of the same people way too soon. They have longer sentences, but they’re out in a much shorter time,” said Zibolski.
Zibolski shared that there are ongoing discussions with the city, the legislature, and the Department of Corrections on holding people longer and tracking them after their release.
The other concern would be addressing the number of mental health calls.
“We really need some type of valid mental health facility for people with chronic issues, because we have folks in our city, in our area who have chronic enough issues and they are unable to properly address them on their own,” said Zibolski.
In 2025, there were 4,353 mental health calls. He estimates that about fifteen to twenty people are the same ones officers have spoken with who deal with mental health issues. But Zibolski believes officers are dealing with this regularly, and there needs to be more done to help the officers, the people who are dealing with mental health issues, and the community.
The crime report:
