Maple Grove to Hire Three Police Officers, Works to Fill Leadership Roles

The Maple Grove City Council is expected to formally approve the hire of three police officers at its Nov. 16 meeting. The hires will put the Maple Grove Police Department at close to full strength.

According to Cmdr. Jon Wetternach, hiring new officers hasn’t been easy. And that isn’t just because of the death of George Floyd last May involving Minneapolis officers that put extra scrutiny on law enforcement.

“Over the past several years there’s been fewer applicants for positions for whatever reason,” said Wetternach, who started in law enforcement 20 years ago. “I would say over the past four years we’ve really seen the number of applicants go down in law enforcement.”

Wetternach says the economy before the COVID-19 pandemic hit may have had something to do with it.

“When the economy is good and the private sector is thriving, people typically tend to gravitate toward that side of the workforce rather than law enforcement,” he said.

Maple Grove Looks to Fill Two Police Leadership Roles

The Maple Grove City Council is expected to formally approve the hiring of Cameron Beman, Thomas Stolee and Samuel Ortman. Beman has been a police officer for six years prior to joining the Maple Grove Police Department, city council documents show. All the officers are expected to report to duty Dec. 1 and will be subject to a 12-month probationary period.

Meanwhile, the city council is expected to authorize city staff to fill two leadership roles in the police department. The city plans to begin an internal recruitment process to replace former Capt. Keith Terlinden, who retired in July after 26 years of service with Maple Grove.

The city plans to also begin a search to replace police Sgt. Tanya Petz. Petz resigned last week after 16 years with Maple Grove, serving as a police officer, an investigator and the last six years as police sergeant. “She will be greatly missed,” read a Maple Grove City Council document.

Maple Grove