Hugo Council Mulls "Town Cop"Concept
Sheriff Proposes To End Deputy Rotation
On March 5, new Washington County Sheriff Bill Hutton received a warm reception by Hugo City Council members, with whom he shared his ideas regarding how policing of the city can be improved under his watch.
Because Hugo contracts with Washington County for its police services, Hutton serves as the de facto police chief of the city.
Hutton, who became sheriff after winning a close election against former Sheriff Steve Pott last November, emphasized the importance of having the same deputies work within Hugo on a daily basis so they can become known figures in the community. He implied that county deputies have had difficulty establishing a rapport with residents because they have been rotating in and out of the city.
"There has been some concern about the location and rotations of deputies," he said. "My vision is to allow the deputies to be comfortable within the city and for the city to be comfortable with the deputies."
Two of the specific measures Hutton suggested included having deputies assigned to the city conduct roll-call in Hugo instead of in Stillwater, as is currently the practice. Assigning specially-marked patrol cars to Hugo and keeping them in the city would increase visibility of the deputies assigned to the city.
Although city staff and council members have had mostly positive things to say about the police service the county has provided, questions as to whether service under the current law enforcement contract should be expanded or - alternatively - perhaps even ended in favor of forming an independent city police department have arisen as Hugo has grown.
This tension between the city's satisfaction with the county and the need to consider expanding service or making more drastic changes was epitomized by comments made by Mayor Fran Miron during a council law enforcement workshop held last July.
During the workshop, Miron said that the city is "very, very satisfied" with the police service the county has provided. However, he also posed the question: "At what point does it become more feasible to provide [law enforcement services] ourselves?"
As one might expect, Hugo's growth has coincided with increased demand for police service. For instance, according to a document prepared by Washington County last summer, there was a 29% increase in calls for law enforcement service in Hugo between 2001 and 2005, a time during which the city's population grew by about the same rate.
However, city growth and the increase in calls haven't resulted in more deputies working in Hugo.
"We have had the same amount of police offi cers despite city growth, so that is something we will have to look at," Hutton said.
Although the idea of forming an independent police department has been kicked around in public, council members believe the current approach may actually be advantageous for the city.
Council Member Chuck Haas told Th e Citizen that "there have been no issues raised by our citizens about inadequate police protection."
He went on to say that "the city currently enjoys an economy of scale and service that I don't see adversely impacted by growth alone, at least for the next several years."
City Administrator Mike Ericson told The Citizen that he is very excited to work with Hutton over the coming years. "We have received a completely different response [from Hutton] than we had received prior to his tenure in terms of addressing the needs of our residents," he said.
Ericson also lauded Hutton's emphasis on embedding county deputies within the fabric of the Hugo community. "His model brings in the 'town cop' style where residents and the police build a strong relationship," he said.
Ericson's enthusiasm and the warm reception Hutton received when speaking before the city council indicate that the idea of Hugo forming an independent police department once again has been relegated to the back burner at least for the next few years.
"We are probably not interested in forming an independent police department, but we are interested in working closer with Washington County to ensure that we are providing satisfactory protection services for Hugo," Ericson said.
Editor's Note: The city of Hugo disbanded its police department in the late 1970s.