St. Cloud Citizen Police Academy Starts Eight Week Program Tonight

The St. Cloud Citizen Police Academy is taking place starting tonight and will continue with a 1-night a week commitment for the next 8 weeks. Stearns County Attorney Janelle Kendall joined me on WJON.

What Is the Citizen Police Academy?

Kendall says the Citizen Police Academy is for people who want to learn more about what law enforcement actually does. She says it's "pretty hands" as they even ask for a at least one volunteer to be tased. Kendall says the tasing will drop a person but doesn't cause any lasting issues. The citizen police academy learns about traffic stops, the drug task force stops by, the chiefs of police stop by along with the county sheriff.

Justice Center Construction Progress

The construction of the new justice center on the west side of St. Cloud along County Road 75 continues to make progress. Kendall says the courthouse walls are going up, the elevator shafts have been built, and the jail pods are also being constructed. She says there is no basement in the facility because much of the property is being built on a wetland. The facility is on track to open in the summer of 2029.

Child Advocacy Observes a Milestone

The Child Advocacy Center is celebrating their 10th anniversary. Kendall describes the center as a one stop shop to talk with social workers, police, lawyers, and doctors all in one space. She says it has gone very well as it allows young people to talk about bad things that have happened to them in a safe environment. Kendall appreciates the partnership with Dr. Holmen with CentraCare to help make this facility possible.

Human Trafficking Dollars Put to Good Use

The human trafficking grant of $955,000 has been renewed and Kendall highlights what they've done in the past quarter. She says the money allows them to fully fund 3 police officers. Kendall says in the last 3 months they've received 8 tips which has led to 5 investigations with 7 cases lining up for prosecution. She says 14 buyers were arrested in the last 3 months, with 1 for the solicitation of a child. Kendall explains they also watch what happens to runaways because they become high risk for trafficking.

Camera Footage in Investigations

The amount of camera footage used in investigations has gone up. Kendall says between 2018-2022 the size of the gigabyte files doubled and doubled again from 2022-2025 due to the amount of camera footage available for investigations. She says the footage is coming from surveillance cameras, ring cameras and drones. Kendall explains that they have search warrants to obtain the footage.

If you'd like to listen to my conversation with Janelle Kendall, click below.