Ely’s Canoes for Police Officers

The City of Ely has faced rough waves while trying to hire and retain police officers over the past three years.

In 2020, Chief of Police Chad Houde’s first year in his position, the police department received 25 applicants for one opening. In 2021, the department received five applicants for one opening. Applicant numbers continued to dwindle in 2022 when the department received three total applicants for two openings.

For their most recent hiring process, the department received just one application for its sole job opening.

“It was getting kind of scary that the number (of applicants) was going down every year that we’ve been doing this,” Houde said.

Instead of turning to conventional hiring and retention initiatives, Ely Police Department is offering new and current officers free canoe packages in an effort to lean into what sets Ely apart from other Minnesota communities.

Rowing through tough hiring times

Ely, of course, is not the only Minnesota police department that has struggled with hiring and retaining officers.

The Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) listed 203 peace officer job openings on its website as of Jan. 11, 2024.

“Our numbers are dwindling, and we’re all fighting for these same applicants,” Houde said.

In the past, officers have accepted positions with the Ely Police Department only to leave and accept higher-paying positions in the surrounding area. Houde first proposed offering new officers a $5,000 signing bonus but ultimately was concerned that common initiative would do little to convince applicants to apply for Ely’s openings over those in the surrounding area.

“How do we stand out?” Houde asked. “We have to sell our area.”

“Although pay is certainly important, we live and work here because of what the area offers,” Assistant Chief of Police Mike Lorenz said.

While other Greater Minnesota cities may be able to offer the similar small-town charm Ely provides, Ely is the only Minnesota city that can boast its main western entry point to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. An outdoorsman himself, Lorenz first mentioned his idea of giving canoes to new hires and current officers in the summer of 2023.

“I kind of laughed at him,” Houde admitted, sharing he was initially concerned about the logistics and public’s reaction to buying canoes for government employees. “I liked the idea, but I just didn’t know.” But after considering what was at stake if the department didn’t get creative in selling its coverage area, Houde agreed to present the idea to the city council. The city approved the proposal in early December 2023.

Early returns

The value of each canoe package is $3,800, but some local businesses were willing to sell their canoes at cost value. The city allocated $30,000 of one-time state public safety funding to this program, and the department plans to order one or two additional canoe packages on top of the seven already ordered.

New officers who accept their canoe packages must stay with the department for at least three years to avoid paying back a portion of the canoe package. Current officers must remain with the department until Jan. 1, 2027.

“I’m hoping they can stay their entire career, but realistically, to stick around three (years), it will get us through the tough times,” Houde said.

Between preparing to present his and Lorenz’s canoe package proposal to the council and getting quotes on packages from local outfitters, Houde estimates his department’s hiring and retention initiative took roughly a week to implement. The department has received five applications since the start of the canoe package initiative, including two out-of-state applicants. Houde admitted the out-of-state applicants may not meet POST requirements, but Lorenz shared the department had only ever received applications from Minnesotans before the new hiring initiative.

“Achieving that wider reach of getting a bigger pool of people that might be interested in coming up here,” Lorenz said, “we’ve definitely accomplished that part of it.”