Clay County officers hold Shop With a Cop; department reports upcoming retirements and recruitment plans

Captain Swinson provided law‑enforcement updates to the Moorhead Human Rights Commission, noting a December Shop With A Cop program at Walmart in Dilworth and Target in Moorhead that served an estimated 70 children.

"Those were kids that were able to go and pick out some things for their family and also for themselves," Swinson said, adding the events relied on officers volunteering their time in uniform.

He said the department remains short‑staffed and is recruiting nontraditional candidates through an intensive skills program: a group of recruits will return to Moorhead at the end of February and another group will begin training in Alexandria. Swinson described recruits with varied backgrounds — service industry, corrections, journalism — to diversify the force.

Swinson also told commissioners the deputy chief is scheduled to retire at the end of February and the chief at the end of March, and the community policing coordinator retired in early January; those leadership gaps will require hiring and internal adjustments.

Commissioners and attendees discussed ongoing anti‑trafficking awareness work; Swinson said the department had previously run a schools program focusing on at‑risk youth but currently lacks school resource officers due to staffing needs. "We don't put our head in the sand on saying that trafficking isn't here," he said, and noted the department investigates trafficking‑related matters in collaboration with other agencies when appropriate.

The commission thanked law enforcement for the Shop With A Cop events and noted the importance of continued collaboration across agencies.