Purchase of law enforcement equipment (speed trailer with data collection, WRAP restraint devices) and crime prevention and community engagement materials.

The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office’s portion of the grant will be utilized to purchase and deploy a radar equipped, speed detecting traffic trailer with digital display and traffic evaluation software. The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office is responsible for traffic control and safety on several thousand miles of County State Aid Highways, County Road, Township Roads, and local City Streets. Currently we utilize one speed trailer and one static mounted speed sign. Our office attempts to deploy these tools in areas that have seen in an increase in traffic speeds or speed related motor vehicle crashes in an effort to both lower those speeds and, at the same time, collect data on traffic patterns and speeds. In addition to that we also make the tools available for request to local jurisdictions on residents. Our office receives numerous requests each year. We are unable to fill some these in the months that the tools are available for deployment, typically April to mid-November of each year. Adding an additional speed trailer to our inventory will allow us to cover and evaluate more areas and fulfill additional requests each year. Stearns County will also allocate JAG funds for crime prevention and community engagement materials.

The St. Cloud Police Department portion of the grant will be used to purchase seven WRAP Safety Restraint devices to augment their response to both uncooperative arrest situations and Medical-Behavioral Emergencies. The Police Executive Research Forum recently release a report on reducing the risk of restraint-related deaths. This was on the heals of a investigative series published by the Associated Press entitled “Lethal Restraint”. When time, distance and de-escalation tactics have been unsuccessful in resolving he situation and restraint becomes necessary it must be done quickly and in a manner that does not place the subject in further jeopardy. In 2024, as of October 8, the St. Cloud Police Department has responded to 1003 calls for service that were coded as Behavioral Health. Certainly, any kind of restraint is a last resort and used in a low number of these calls, but when it has been used is has been used successfully with the current WRAP systems that are deployed. These systems are issued to officers and squads who work they road. The ability to purchase more of these devices will enhance that deployment and increase the availability of them when they are needed. Currently, if the officer with a device is engaged in another call that device is unavailable. Seven more WRAP devices will add in the response to these types of calls and allow for safe restraint when necessary. The system when utilized places the subject in a securely restrained and upright seated position. Once of the major factors in restraint related deaths is the subject being restrained in a prolonged prone position. The WRAP restraint system allows rapid deployment and movement to the seated upright position to help mitigate those effects and bring the situation under control and allow for quicker medical intervention when necessary.