Mott, Lindgren, Weller seek sheriff post
Posted 8/16/02

Editorís note: This is the first in a four-part series of some of the contested races in Mille Lacs and Sherburne counties for the Sept. 10 primary election. Featured next week will be the candidates for county attorney in Mille Lacs County.

Three are running for the elected position of Mille Lacs County sheriff, a post being vacated at the end of the year by Dennis Boser.

The candidates are Milaca Police Chief Mike Mott, and Mille Lacs deputies Brent Lindgren and Gregg Weller.

The three candidates will be on the Sept. 10 primary election ballot and the number will be narrowed to two for the Nov. 5 general election.

Mike Mott

Mottís last try for county office was eight years ago when he sought to unseat then-Mille Lacs County Sheriff Jules Zimmer. He lost the race by 29 votes.

Mott, who turns 50 today (Thursday), was a military policeman during most of his two-year stint in the Army and spent most of the time in West Germany. A week after becoming a civilian, Sheriff Al Wilhelm asked Mott, a rural Onamia native, if he would like to become a part-time patrol deputy.

It was the early í70s and Mott remembers how at the time the price of beef was high and someone had been rustling cattle in the county. Some of the cattle had even been butchered out in the field by the thieves, Mott noted.

The county "never lost a cow" after Mott became a patrol officer, he said, but made it clear he doesnít know if he was a deterrent. He patrolled for six to 12 months and then was jailer and dispatcher for the county for nearly two years under Sheriff Russ Iverson. Meanwhile, he attended college at St. Cloud State University to study criminal justice and got his degree in 1976.

He next became a community liaison officer in the Onamia school district for about 18 months.

Mott moved on to the Wadena Police Department, where he worked a year on patrol and then between eight and nine years as an investigator. Now he has been working at the Milaca Police Department for 10 years. He worked up from road patrol to investigator, deputy chief and chief.

Mott lists several reasons for seeking the office of sheriff. He began by saying it has always been a goal and felt he made a good showing in the sheriffís race eight years ago.

But the job of sheriff and working for and with people has challenges, Mott said, explaining that he likes challenges.

Then Mott continued, "My predecessors have all done a pretty good job, have done some good things and we need to keep on track and do some more things. I think there are issues with the jail we need to look at."

Mott didnít elaborate but said a sheriff has to study the budget and determine if the human and financial resources are being used the most efficiently.

"Weíre in a critical time now because the county is not in the best financial shape," Mott said. "We need to be prudent with the taxpayersí money."

Mott described himself as conservative but added that he would want to make sure the sheriffís employees have proper and safe equipment, wagering that the sheriffís department probably has some old and outdated equipment. "Theyíve tried to update," he said of the current department.

Mott lists the following three goals he would have if elected sheriff:

"To protect and serve the citizens of Mille Lacs through the delivery of quality professional law enforcement services.

"To serve the public by recruiting and maintaining the best qualified law enforcement officers and staff.

"To effectively manage the financial resources of Mille Lacs taxpayers."

Communicating well with the public and addressing even the slightest issue, and building and maintaining a positive relationship with all public service agencies, is necessary to be a successful sheriff, he continued.

When Mott was asked to be more specific about any goals, he said it is hard to do until on the job and looking at everything.

He was asked if he would be in favor of the county requiring 911 address signs in front of residences as many counties do. He said he would have to look first at the cost.

He was also asked if he thinks the sheriffís department has enough people on patrol and he said thatís a good question.

"I think we may be adequate," he added. "We certainly are busy and the population is increasing and the caseload is rising. We have to do the best we can based on the resources."

A question that was also posed to Mott and the other two candidates was what stand he has on giving out permits to carry concealed weapons, often referred to as conceal and carry.

Mott answered that some police chiefs and sheriffs in the country give out such permits "like candy," and that he isnít one of those who does.

Mottís credentials while in law enforcement include 12 years of teaching in the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program, education in law enforcement management and many kinds of investigation studies plus training in juvenile-related areas.

Brent Lindgren

Lindgren, 38, began work in law enforcement in 1987 as a deputy under Sheriff Zimmer and two years later began teaching in the DARE program for seven years in the Isle and Onamia schools. Now his job is investigator for the northern end of Mille Lacs County.

"This time around there is no incumbent running," Lindgren answered to a question about why he is running.

He continued that with the years of experience he has in the department and through his promotion to criminal investigator, he feels he is "prepared for the challenge."

Lindgren pointed out that of the three candidates, he is the youngest and said that he thinks he is "at the right age" for the challenges of being sheriff. Accomplishing goals takes time and if someone is old enough that they could retire in about five years, those goals might not get accomplished, Lindgren said.

Lindgren went on that he is dedicated to the department he is in and knows the county well.

He said he would, if he became sheriff, institute countywide what he is doing in the northern area of the county. He noted that the county has 80 to 100 sex offenders and that those are in the severity level of categories one and two. Three is the most severe and if any Level Three offenders come into a jurisdiction, authorities must notify the community of their location, he said.

Right now what he does with the first two levels in his area is knock on their door, gather information on them, photograph them and keep the photos and information in the department, and checks back with the offenders every three months.

This way the word gets out that Mille Lacs may not be the most attractive place for sex offenders to locate, said Lindgren.

He said he would also create a civil process/warrant division in the department. He notes that more than 2,000 civil papers are served each year in the county and that Mille Lacs has an average of 400 active arrest warrants.

Lindgren would also re-establish a full-time, multi-jurisdictional drug task force, noting that methamphetamine use is on the rise.

Other Lindgren goals include:

ï Implementing structured training for officers to meet state mandates and prepare for future challenges.

ï Continue seeking new ideas to provide productive goal-oriented ideas to Mille Lacs officers.

Lindgrenís career credits include having been on the former East Central Drug Task Force, and being a former civil defense director for the county and emergency response manager. He was also a county welfare fraud investigator, a 911 coordinator and worked on the countyís search and rescue team. He is commander of the countyís special entry response team.

He names among his skills being a certified computer voice stress analyst to help provide truth verification services in the region. He is also a crisis negotiator trained through the FBI and is a certified clandestine lab safety specialist trained through the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Lindgren, on the subject of if there are enough officers in the department, said the department puts the most people on during peak crime times, that the county has limited resources and that the patrol is adequate. The departmentís response time has been coming down but can always improve, he added. "If you are a victim of a crime," the response can never be quick enough, he said.

Lindgren said he would push for the county to require 911 address signs at residences if he became sheriff.

On the handgun conceal and carry question, Lindgren responded this way: "If you are a law-abiding citizen and need to carry one and and prove that need, you should be allowed to carry."

Gregg Weller

Weller, 47, has been a Mille Lacs County deputy for more than 22 years. He began his career much earlier, starting in the city of Osakis as a patrol officer for two years and then as chief and civil defense director there for nine months. He then became a Mille Lacs sheriffís deputy, with his last 10 years in the department as sergeant.

Among Wellerís credentials are 16 years with the Minnesota Association of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors, where he has been elected to a second term on the board, and he is a handgun safety instructor.

He is a use-of-force instructor for the county and for the police departments in Isle and Onamia, and is with the international association of arson investigators. He is team leader on the countyís special entry response team and coordinates the countyís deputy reserve program.

He is running, he said, because "at my age and experience level I think I can do the job the best. I know whatís going on in the sheriffís office. I think I can bring a vast amount of experience into the sheriffís department.

"I believe in listening. I have never been one to come in and talk. I let other people do the talking. I donít over prod with questions."

Weller said that as an administrator he would want an open communication with employees and with other law enforcement agencies in the county.

Because of having dealt with a vast array of calls, he said, he has learned when it is time to take action and when itís time to step back. "Not in every situation as a police officer can we do anything," he said.

Wellerís thoughts on the amount of patrol coverage in the county are that the night shift has a minimum of three deputies patrolling and that the department, like in other counties, relies heavily on city police departments for assistance.

"Granted, it would be nice to have more deputies on the road but there is a budget issue," he said.

If more tax revenue comes in, he said, he would hope the department gets its share.

Wellerís thoughts on giving permits to carry a concealed weapon are: "I think all law-abiding citizens should be allowed to carry a handgun."

He added that they must first pass the background and computer checks. He said showing a need to carry a handgun shouldnít be a hurdle, but that he would want to know why someone wants a permit.

"I would like to see all the agencies working together and training together," Weller said while listing goals. "We all back each other up."

Referring to the countyís special entry response team, he said it should include all of the countyís police departments and tribal police besides the sheriffís personnel. If three people are on vacation from the sheriffís office, that doesnít leave much for the team as it is now, he said.

Responding to a question about what to do to improve locating people in the 911 system, Weller said he would like that researched.

Weller noted that he grew up in the Twin Cities and came to Mille Lacs County seeking the rural life. But some of the rural lifestyle of "neighbor helping neighbor" is getting lost and "thatís too bad," Weller said. "People want a rural lifestyle but they donít know exactly what it is."

Weller said he also sometimes hears citizens say they are hesitant to contact law enforcement about something because they didnít want to "bother them." But thatís what citizens pay the officer to do, be of service, he said.