Moose Lake police change starts Aug. 1

Carlton County Sheriff Kelly Lake attended the Moose Lake city council meeting in June and publicly shared that the city will have its first dedicated deputy available Aug. 1.

In February, the council voted to contract with the Carlton County Sheriff’s Office for its law enforcement services. The decision meant the city’s longstanding police force would come to an end.

The city and sheriff’s office agreed to a plan that includes assigning four deputies to cover the city. The city’s police department is still operating under chief Chad Pattison and he will remain i until the Aug. 1 transition.

The city will phase in having four dedicated deputies, city administrator Ellissa Owens told the Pine Knot News.

The start dates of all four deputies have not been officially released yet, she said. The city and the sheriff’s office are in the process of finalizing the law enforcement services agreement.

A citizen-led petition in spring to restore the city’s police force was not successful.

“The city’s attorney informed the council that the petition, as presented, was not a viable mechanism to oppose the transition,” Owens said.