BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. — After three decades with the force, Brooklyn Park Police Chief Craig Enevoldsen will retire later this week, leaving yet another large Minnesota city without a permanent chief.
On Monday, Enevoldsen's colleagues threw him a party in the lobby of City Hall, as he prepares for his final day on the job this Wednesday. Deputy Chief Mark Bruley will serve as interim chief following Enevoldsen's departure.
"It's kind of surreal," Enevoldsen said. "I don't know if it has officially set in."
Enevoldsen told KARE 11 he pushed up his retirement timeline in response to changing job demands.
"Gotta be honest with you, the last 24 months have been pretty taxing," he said. "I had probably planned on next year, was kind of my forecast. But, I have a lot of other interests outside of law enforcement that have come into play recently. The dominos kind of started to fall and it just made sense."
Like many cities in the metro area, Brooklyn Park has experienced an increase in violent crime the past few years and has dealt with fallout from the police killings of George Floyd and Daunte Wright in Minneapolis and Brooklyn Center, respectively. After Floyd's murder by MPD, the city of Brooklyn Park paid the Wilder Foundation $50,000 to study Brooklyn Park's own policing.
Enevoldsen said he's proud to leave the department in "a great position," touting the addition of specialized mental health units and an ongoing partnership with non-profit Minnesota Acts Now. From a staffing standpoint, he said his department is only three officers short of authorized strength, due to officers from neighboring departments making so-called "lateral" job moves to Brooklyn Park.
But the turnover in police chiefs has accelerated since 2020, with at least 90 leaving their jobs statewide over the past two years, according to the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association. That's a 50-percent increase in departures compared to years past.
"I think it says a lot. Not only is it leadership in law enforcement, but a lot of rank-and-file are choosing to leave the profession for various reasons as well," Enevoldsen said. "The recruitment, retention, is going to be really vital moving forward."
Enevoldsen's retirement in Brooklyn Park means the four largest cities in the Twin Cities metro area will all have police chief transitions in 2022. Minneapolis and St. Paul are both currently searching for permanent chiefs, while Bloomington hired Minnesota Department of Public Safety Assistant Commissioner Booker Hodges as its chief earlier this year.
Brooklyn Center, though not as large of a city, just welcomed new police chief Kellace McDaniel on Monday, mere miles from Enevoldsen's going-away party in Brooklyn Park.
Jay Stroebel, the Brooklyn Park City Manager, will have the responsibility of recommending candidates to the city council for final approval. He said the chief's job will be posted tomorrow and that the city will consider candidates nationwide.
"Definitely looking for someone who can serve our diverse community well, represent our community, build that public trust," Stroebel said. "And be innovative in terms of how to best deploy police services."
However, in his interview with KARE 11, Chief Enevoldsen made it clear he prefers an internal candidate as his successor.
"I think it would be really vital, given the nature of violent crime here, that they get that decision made as soon as possible," Enevoldsen said. "I do truly believe the next leader is already in the department."
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