“It’s just a matter of time” for body cams
That’s Rice County Sheriff Troy Dunn talking about his department wearing body cameras. They’ve tested 2 styles so far and are still in the testing phase. He says the legislature has had plenty of ideas about body cams. Senator Kevin Dahle, this morning said a bill passed off the Senate Floor yesterday. He said the body cameras were an amendment to the to the license plate reader bill and there was 4 hours of debate. Two sticky issues were Privacy and how long data from the cameras can be held. In this bill it’s 90 days. While there have been crimes solved, the question is how much should law enforcement know of citizens personal lives. Dunn says they will need funding if legislators mandate the cameras, they will need funding as the cameras are expensive and so is the data storage. Dunn says it will be a great thing for law enforcement just as the squad cameras have been. Dahle said there’s no specific talk right now of requiring body cams on police officers but everyone seems to think it’s a good idea. Last September I spoke with Northfield Chief Monte Nelson. He said they’ve tested 5 versions. The problem is they’re prone to breaking. Nelson says there’s good reason to use them but echoed Dunn’s hope for funding.
Rice County water safety by the numbers
It’s opening fishing weekend and Sheriff Dunn reminds us about Water Safety. Every summer they hire seasonal help including 6 seasonal water patrol officers and 13 volunteers who live on the lakes and assist with breakdowns and those who may get lost. They also do safety checks. Last year there were 1572 safety checks and 10 boat assists on Rice County Lakes. They also issued 13 citations, 12 of them were for not having personal flotation devices and 185 warnings. Dunn says “it’s about safety and education, not handing out tickets”. The most important factors include not operating your boat while impaired, have PFD’s for everyone and children 10 and under must have theirs on. Dunn says also make sure your navigation lights are on after dark. Recently 2 people have been recovered from the river after drinking. Dunn says you need to make the right choices and added that it’s hard on them to do a recovery and hard on the family….
Construction zones to note
There are several construction zones throughout the State including single lane on I35 from Owatonna to Albert Lea, single lane on Hwy 10 between St. Cloud and Sauk Rapids and lane shifts, narrow lanes and reduced speeds on I94 between St. Michaels and Monticello. For more construction information, check out 511mn.org.
CAC Bridge out of Poverty
The Community Action Center is sponsoring a training seminar on ending poverty in Northfield and beyond. Executive Director Jim Blaha says 47 million people in the United States are in poverty and 1 in 13 here in Northfield rely on the CAC. He added that at the root of many kids issues is often poverty. Last year the CAC started a job readiness program called Northfield Works to help individuals get a job, hold it and make a liveable wage. Blaha says starting a relationship with someone can start to build a Bridge out of Poverty. That’s where Jodi Pfarr comes in. She’s worked internationally conducting seminars as is the keynote speaker at Bridges Out of Poverty seminar on May 13th at Buntrock Commons on the St. Olaf campus from 8:30 to 3:30pm. The seminar is for business leaders, employers and community members interested in helping. It’s scheduled from 8:30 to 3:30 and costs $40. You can register online at Community Action Center at community action center.org.
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The post Today’s news update – “It’s just a matter of time” for body cams; Rice County water safety by the numbers; Const. zones to note; CAC Bridge out of Poverty appeared first on KYMN Radio - Northfield, MN.