Hennepin County report warns licensed-officer candidate pool will shrink; recommends regional hiring and nonlicensed roles

Hennepin County’s Law, Safety and Justice Committee on April 26 received a county HR study projecting a long‑term decline in the pool of candidates eligible to be hired as licensed law‑enforcement officers and a widening gap between budgeted positions and available hires.

Jovanna Kone, chief human resources officer for Hennepin County, told the committee the HR team used Minnesota POST Board licensing data, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office records, peer‑agency submissions and national sources to make five‑ and 10‑year projections of licensed‑officer availability, retirements and hiring costs. “We do not expect that there will be enough candidates to hire to fill the future need,” Kone said.

The report traces roughly 20 years of POST Board data and shows a roughly 10‑year decline in the number of candidates passing licensing exams. Kone explained that some hires in recent years drew on a three‑year window of eligible candidates — a lag that has temporarily allowed hires to exceed same‑year exam passes — but said the underlying trend points to declining availability of new candidates.

Kone summarized the study’s recommendations: coordinated, multi‑agency recruitment and joint hiring practices to create economies of scale; a collaborative long‑term workforce‑planning effort to update projections regularly; greater use of nonlicensed roles such as community service officers and social‑work co‑responders for calls that do not require a sworn officer; and contracting or shared services for smaller agencies that may not be able to sustain rising personnel costs. The presentation projected personnel‑cost increases of about 30% in five years and about 68% by 2035, figures Kone said include wages and benefits such as PERA and health insurance.

Committee members focused on retention, data assumptions and practical responses. Commissioner Coteau said slowing mid‑career turnover could have a “real impact” on availability. Commissioner Anderson questioned why the study used a conservative 3% growth assumption; Kone said the team relied on a 3% Bureau of Labor Statistics projection for the profession nationally and referenced higher DEED estimates for the metro area but noted DEED did not provide a Hennepin‑specific number. “It seems really low from a growth perspective,” Anderson said; Kone replied the county elected a conservative assumption because POST Board data show declining candidate interest.

Commissioner Fernando asked whether the study included nonlicensed, non‑deputized staff; Kone replied the analysis focused only on licensed staff and recommended nonlicensed positions be examined in future work. Commissioner Green and others described existing mutual backup and resource‑sharing among chiefs and expressed interest in deepening partnerships. Chair Lundy suggested options such as using retired officers for investigative work and urged the county’s convening role: “We have power as a convener,” Lundy said, urging chiefs and cities to share data and best practices rather than compete for the same pool of candidates.

Commissioners also noted data limitations in the report: Commissioner Adelson said only 25 of 34 agencies submitted reports to HR, and several speakers said local variation means some jurisdictions will require tailored responses. Committee discussion included examples: Kone and Chair Lundy cited Minneapolis’s budgeted staffing and shortfalls and the city of Osseo’s example of raising the levy by 30% to increase sworn ranks.

Votes at a glance: the committee approved the March 24 minutes by voice vote after a motion from Commissioner Coteau and accepted a donation for general support of sheriff’s office operations after a motion and second; the transcript records committee “aye” responses and Chair Lundy’s declaration that motions carried. The transcript does not record the second for the minutes motion and does not include a full roll‑call tally for either vote.

The committee did not adopt formal countywide mandates during the meeting; Kone said the report is intended as a baseline to inform discussions. Chair Lundy said she would distribute the report to chiefs and elected officials for follow‑up. The meeting then accepted the donation and adjourned.