Brooklyn Center Police Chief Taking Community Questions for Video Series
The Brooklyn Center police chief is using Facebook videos to get more connected with the community. He used the platform this week to announce it acquired a new K9.
Chief Garett Flesland said he is using the platform to dive deep into community questions about policing. It’s through an initiative he’s called the Chief’s Gouge. Flesland served in the Navy early in his career, where he learned the term “gouge” meant short, essential insider information.
Flesland said one of his main goals as police chief is to be more transparent.
It all started with the “gouge” updates he would send internally. Eventually, one of his staff members suggested he do something like that for the whole community.
The Brooklyn Center Police Department is still dealing with mistrust after Daunte Wright was killed by former officer Kim Potter in April 2021. In his tenure, Flesland has said he wants to focus on community engagement and officer morale.
The Chief’s Gouge is a short, weekly video where Flesland will explain a concept people in the community have questions about.
Flesland said he wants those videos to be driven by questions from residents.
“Let’s be transparent, let’s communicate,” he said. “Let’s get the information out there for the public to know. I don’t want the public to have to guess. I don’t want them to have to rely on rumors and hearsay. I want them to have accurate information that they can make decisions on, that they can have their opinions based on.”
You can send questions for the Chief’s Gouge through email at police@brooklyncentermn.gov, and through social media comments.
Brooklyn Center Police Chief Garett Flesland introduces Officer Tyler Sheets and his K9, Viking. Sheets and Viking came from Washington.
A New Companion
Brooklyn Center police also have a new K9 in their ranks. In Volume Two of the Chief’s Gouge, Flesland introduced Officer Tyler Sheets and new K9 Viking to the community.
Viking is the department’s second police dog in 34 years. The first is named Rex.
Viking is different from Rex, who is trained for comfort and companionship.
He’s already trained to find narcotics — and soon, he’ll be trained in scent tracking to locate people.
When asked why Viking was the subject of this early video, Flesland said he was hoping to answer questions before they’re asked.
“It’s timely, because Tyler and Viking are going to be out on the street driving around,” he said. “They’ve still got a couple weeks of training to get re-certified, but they’re out and about, and there’s a squad car out there that shows ‘K-9’ on the back. The public’s going to see them out there. I don’t want there to be surprises. I don’t want to be reactive in our communication, I want to be proactive.”
The video introducing Viking to the community is on the Brooklyn Center Police Department’s Facebook page.
Flesland said he hopes to expand the videos to other platforms, like Instagram, TikTok and X.
