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Sheriff's Office

Patrol Division

The Sheriff’s Office Patrol Division provides law enforcement service to seven cities and townships in northern Anoka County:

• Andover
• Burns Township
• Columbus
• East Bethel
• Ham Lake
• Linwood Township
• Oak Grove

The primary job of the patrol deputy is to respond to citizen requests for service for events such as accidents, domestics and neighborhood disputes and traffic complaints. Deputies also initiate investigative activity into all crimes occurring within the patrol area. The Patrol Division is responsible for traffic enforcement on the roadways in its patrol area. The Division also provides K-9 services and has officers working in local schools as resource officers.

Community policing is the driving philosophy of the Patrol Division. The community is invited to partner with law enforcement to identify problems, develop responses and evaluate programs. The Sheriff’s Office promotes this practice with patrol sub-stations and staff liaisons in the community.

The Patrol Division also provides the following specialized services:

Crime Prevention/Public Affairs

The Sheriff’s Office Crime Prevention program includes many activities that encourage citizen involvement, including:

• Neighborhood Crime Watch programs
• Business watch
• National Night Out
• Safety Camps for kids and seniors
• Seat belt safety for teenagers
• Child safety seat training.

Contact Laura Landes, 763-767-4664.

Special Weapons and Tactics Unit (SWAT Team)

The SWAT Team provides an emergency response team equipped with specialized weapons and tactical skills. The unit is available to assist any police agency in the county during an incident which requires these specialized skills.

The 19 member team works with the Anoka Hennepin Narcotics Task Force in serving high risk search warrants where officer safety is a critical issue. The team includes a trained negotiations unit that is committed to peacefully resolving life threatening situations. The unit has been awarded numerous commendations in team competitions.

Recreational Enforcement Unit

The Sheriff’s Office is responsible for enforcement of state statutes regulating watercraft and other recreational vehicles. The Recreational Enforcement Unit uses a combination of full-time, part-time and Special Deputies for this program. Officers patrol the county’s waterways and snowmobile trails enforcing state, county and local ordinances.

Special Deputy Unit

The Sheriff’s Office Special Deputy Unit is an all volunteer group. The unit is authorized to support up to 45 positions. Members are used as part of the recreational vehicle enforcement program and assist the licensed officers with traffic control at accident scenes, vehicle lockouts, and security at special events including the Anoka County Fair and other local community events. Contact Sergeant Mike Longbehn, 763-754-4527.

Underwater Recovery Unit

The Underwater Recovery Unit consists of 18 divers trained to respond to drownings and persons or snowmobiles fallen through the ice and to recover evidence.

Explorers- Post #444 sponsored by the Boy Scouts of America

Young adults, age 14-20, with an interest in law enforcement are permitted to work with real officers through this program. Explorers attend monthly meetings and receive training in actual police practices including; traffic stops, search and arrest techniques, domestic crisis intervention, crime scene searches, accident investigation, First Aid, and traffic control. Each spring the team participates in a statewide competition with other Explorer posts. Contact Sergeant Rick Kreyer, 763-767-4525.

Crime Victims Assistance Program

The patrol division has a Victim Services Coordinator. This position is responsible for providing information on cases and resources available to assist victims. See Help for victims of crime on this website.