Waite Park Police Chief Dave Bentrud to retire in May

Becca Most, St. Cloud Times
·4 min read
Waite Park Chief of Police Dave Bentrud is pictured in his office Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021, in Waite Park.
Waite Park Chief of Police Dave Bentrud is pictured in his office Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021, in Waite Park.

WAITE PARK ― Dave Bentrud, who has been Waite Park's police chief for about 15 years, will retire at the end of May.

Bentrud was hired as chief in 2008. Prior to his work in Waite Park he worked for the St. Cloud Police Department starting in 1992 as a patrol supervisor, school resource officer and St. Cloud Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team member. He has served as president of the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association and is on the Minnesota Post Board.

In August, St. Cloud Police Chief William Blair Anderson also announced his retirement after serving as chief for about a decade. He will retire at the end of November and Assistant Chief Jeff Oxton will take over as chief.

More:St. Cloud Police Chief Blair Anderson to retire, Assistant Chief Jeff Oxton will take his place

"I'd say in the last six months, you know, I've started thinking more about [retirement]," Bentrud said. "Between my time with St. Cloud PD and Waite Park, it's been 30 years and it just seemed like a good number. I'm at an age too where I'd like to give myself an opportunity to do some different things. And it just felt like now's a good time to be thinking about that. I really wanted to give the city enough time to figure out what they want to do next."

Waite Park Chief of Police Dave Bentrud stands next to one of the department's patrol cars outside city hall Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021, in Waite Park.
Waite Park Chief of Police Dave Bentrud stands next to one of the department's patrol cars outside city hall Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021, in Waite Park.

Bentrud said there are some internal candidates that could be a good fit for chief, but he said the city council could also choose an external candidate.

Reflecting on his time as chief, Bentrud said it has been great to work with the city administrator, the mayor and council members for many years and said it has been fun to see the city of Waite Park change and evolve.

"We're seeing a lot of growth. And I think when I started here we had 12 police officers, including myself, and now we're at 22. We've added some record staff and so we've gone from roughly 15 employees to almost 30 if you include our part-time [employees]. There's been some growing pains with that, we've kind of outgrown our space here," he said. "But it's been fun to see the growth and the development of the department, the city. You know, Waite Park has always been kind of that business district, if you will. But we're becoming kind of an entertainment/recreation destination as well now with The Ledge Amphitheater, the River's Edge Park, Quarry Park and all that. So it's been kind of cool to see."

Bentrud said he will miss the collaborations the department has developed with organizations like CentraCare and county human service teams to combat sex trafficking and improve mental health responses in the area.

More:Sex trafficking of children on the rise in Central Minnesota, often happens online

"[This work] has been very gratifying. And I'm gonna miss those relationships," he said. "I'm proud of the work that we've done. I think this area of the state is a model for the rest of the state, if not the country, when it comes to multi-disciplinary, multi-jurisdictional collaboration. I think we do it very, very well and I'm gonna miss that. It was fun to be a part of it."

Waite Park Chief of Police Dave Bentrud is pictured outside city hall Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021, in Waite Park.
Waite Park Chief of Police Dave Bentrud is pictured outside city hall Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021, in Waite Park.

Bentrud said he hopes the future chief will carry on that collaborative spirit and work to improve community policing.

"I started my career in the early '90s … but as things have changed, the job has changed. Police officers are law enforcement officers, yes. But we're also crisis counselors to an extent. The role has changed and our duties have changed and there are other ways to solve community problems, doesn't have to always be about law enforcement," he said. "And I think we've made some positive strides. So just kind of breaking out of that 'law enforcement silo,' if you will, to where we are collaborating with the medical providers … and human services and trying to help individuals that are struggling, whether they're adolescents or adults. That has been a significant change from what I've seen. And I think, to have somebody come in that can continue to take that approach of taking care of your staff but also being a good community partner and collaborating with with various organizations, both public and private [is important]."

Becca Most is a cities reporter with the St. Cloud Times. Reach her at 320-241-8213 or bmost@stcloudtimes.com. Follow her on Twitter at @becca_most. 

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This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: Waite Park Police Chief Dave Bentrud to retire in May