Chat With The Chief: Maple Grove Police Chief Eric Werner
Maple Grove Police Chief Eric Werner shared some news about his department’s new focus on wellness and his annual report findings when he stopped by CCX Media for a Chat with the Chief with Rusty Ray recently.
Chief Werner said the department has just started a new joint effort with Brooklyn Park police for peer support programs for officers.
“If an officer needs that support, they can confidentially contact an officer from their agency or ours, essentially cross-supporting each other, and that’s just another outlet where they can deal with the stresses they’re encountering,” said Werner. “We’ve gone from that old culture–which I grew up in–of you just have to tough it out and really just bear it yourself. I think we’ve gotten through those barriers.”
Maple Grove Police Chief Eric Werner
He also said the city dedicated $50,000 of the money it received in this year’s public safety bill in St. Paul to spend on full medical work-ups for each officer on the force.
“They can understand basically where their baseline is physically through those assessments, and then there’s additional education to how do you carry the plan forward to keep yourself healthy,” he said.
Werner also talked about the department’s annual report, which included a survey of the public from 2022, and it showed a greater than 90% approval rating of his department by Maple Grove residents.
“I think it just speaks to our agency, the staff we have, but also the support we have from the mayor and city council,” Werner said.
He also pointed out that Maple Grove is seeing a trend similar to national and Twin Cities regional numbers, showing a decline in violent crime.
