As the St. Paul Police Department continues to struggle to hire officers, the city’s fire department is fully staffed, the chiefs of both departments told the city council on Wednesday.

But the fire department has been facing an increasing number of firefighters unable to work due to injuries. The department recently started a new initiative to help them get better more quickly, Chief Butch Inks said in his budget presentation to the council.

Meanwhile, in the police department, efforts continue to recruit officers while overtime costs pile up to fill open shifts, said Chief Axel Henry.

St. Paul’s department leaders take turns telling the city council about their budgets for the next year, and the police and fire departments were up Wednesday.

Mayor Melvin Carter’s proposed 2025 budget for the city would grow to $854.9 million, a $25 million increase over the present year, if the council approves it without major changes. It includes a 7.9% increase to the city’s tax levy.

The police department’s budget for next year, including grants, is proposed at $145.6 million, up from $136.5 million this year. The fire department’s total budget for next year is proposed at $88.5 million versus $87.1 million for this year.

Gun violence

While the St. Paul police homicide clearance rate was 89 percent last year, far above the national average, solving non-fatal shootings has been a thornier problem.

The police department started its nonfatal shooting unit in January. They didn’t hire more officers, but shifted officers from other work. Their previous clearance rate was about 38 percent for nonfatal shootings and they’ve brought it up to about 63 percent so far with the focused work of investigators, Henry said.

St. Paul’s homicide rate began increasing in 2019 and there were 32 last year. The city averaged 17 homicides a year between 2010 and 2018. This year, the city is on pace for 25 homicides, though “we hope it’s lower than that,” Henry said.

Carjackings, which used to be rare enough that St. Paul police didn’t track them separately from robberies or auto thefts until 2020, have been trending down after 101 were reported in 2021. There were 42 last year and they’re on pace to have 28 this year.

Staffing

The police department’s authorized strength is 619 officers, though they haven’t been at that number since 2020. They are currently 60 officers short.

While overtime cost the police department about $288,000 a month in 2020, it’s now about $666,000 a month due to being short-staffed and “we have to answer 911 calls, we have to investigate the crimes that are out there,” Henry said.

Overtime isn’t only expensive, but there’s a “human cost of fatigue in those pieces, too,” noted council President Mitra Jalali. And it means “decreased ability to provide services to the community,” said council member Rebecca Noecker.

Related Articles

Wagon overturns during preschool’s trip to Wisconsin orchard, injuring at least 17

Jury convicts man of murdering housemate at West St. Paul mental-health group home

St. Paul man pleads guilty to swiping pricey dog from woman on walk

Boy, 14, wounded in shooting outside St. Paul high school

Driver in Chisago County crash that injured girl claimed he wasn’t driving, complaint says

Both the police and fire departments hire in waves, holding academies of several months to train officers and firefighters joining their departments.

The fire department had been playing catch-up in hiring until it received funding in 2019 to begin a pilot program to hire 3 percent to 5 percent above their authorized strength, so they’d have new firefighters ready to go as older firefighters left the department. It resulted in being able to meet their daily staffing requirements more often and a decrease in overtime costs, and they’ve continued the program.

The department is currently six firefighters over its authorized strength of 447; the base number of sworn firefighters will grow to 453 next year.

The police department has also begun following the fire department’s model of holding academies twice a year instead of one per year, but “the problem is … there aren’t people that want to be police officers right now,” Henry said. If there is good news, it’s that St. Paul isn’t down as many officers as some other departments, the chief said.

When Henry applied to become a St. Paul police officer in 1995, there were 2,500 applicants for 30 openings. Now, they might get 70 officers to apply and about 65 percent of them wash out in the backgrounding or psychological or physical fitness testing, he said.

The department has a sergeant who works on recruiting full time and they’ve had a program for years to get college students into their ranks. “It is no longer a time to have a program, you have to have about 15,” Henry said.

Injured firefighters

The number of firefighters who are out of work due to being sick or injured has been increasing. In 2019, there would be about 20 at a time. Now, that daily average is around 40, Inks said.

A lot have physical injuries and “a fair amount” are contending with post-traumatic stress disorder or mental health, Inks said, adding that firefighters in their work “see the worst things imaginable … and for them to process that is very challenging.”

This month, the fire department began working with a company to get injured firefighters seen by doctors in 24 to 48 hours, which would typically take two weeks to a month, Inks said.

Busier fire department

St. Paul Fire Department responses have increased 56 percent over the last decade. The city’s firefighters are also emergency medical technicians and/or paramedics, and 63 percent of the increase has been in EMS calls. The increases come as St. Paul’s population grows and ages.

Seven people have died this year in residential fires, a 30-year high.

The city is renovating its closed Station 3, near West Seventh Street and Grand Avenue. When it opens next year, it will bring the number of operating fire stations in the city to 16.

Related Articles

Wagon overturns during preschool’s trip to Wisconsin orchard, injuring at least 17

Lawsuit settled after murder victim’s parents say Ramsey County, others didn’t properly supervise boyfriend

Argument between man and woman led to Minneapolis hit-and-run that killed 16-year-old girl, charges say

St. Paul police end mental health unit with embedded social workers as city plans new approach

Father charged with manslaughter in 3-year-old son’s fall from window in Brooklyn Center apartment

The first new fire station in St. Paul in 13 years, Station 7, will open next year in Dayton’s Bluff to replace the old station across the street. It will house the state’s first electric fire engine.

Noecker asked Inks about an article that said the city was hoping to get a federal grant for the $1.8 million truck but did not. The Minnesota Reformer wrote about the topic last month.

Inks said the fire truck was never dependent on grant funding.

“I appreciate the fact that they think I can just go spend $2 million on a whim and just someone else figures out how to get the money, but it’s not actually what happens,” he said. The city budgeted money for the truck before purchasing it, while also looking into whether it could be grant-funded, Inks said.

CLEVELAND — Kyle Farmer is willing to admit the thought of getting designated for assignment crossed his mind this year as he went through a tough stretch.

It took until his eighth game to collect his first hit, and things didn’t get much better in the months that followed. On July 12, he finally landed on the injured list with a shoulder strain. In retrospect, he believes that was one of the main issues that plagued him, and he wishes he had taken a break earlier.

But with a healthy shoulder and a tweak to his batting stance, Farmer’s in the best place he has been all year. That tweak came when he was working in the batting cage one day last month and decided to spread his legs wider.

“It feels like I’m almost looking like Jeff Bagwell,” he said, citing the longtime Astros star’s unique stance.

The first time he tried it out in a game was Aug. 13. Not coincidentally, that was the first time he went yard all year.

“I was going forward too much, and I was putting a lot of pressure on my shoulder,” Farmer said. “I think it gets me more behind the baseball and shorter to the ground and more grounded.”

The results speak for themselves.

From that day through Tuesday’s play, Farmer was hitting .333 with a 1.036 OPS. He had five home runs in that stretch with two doubles. He has been even better in September.

“Farm’s been pretty awesome. He’s doing it on both sides of the ball,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “He has brought a lot to the table, and he’s been productive. He’s always Kyle Farmer. He’s got that personality that he brings every single day. He keeps everybody going here in a lot of different ways, and we’re thankful to be running him out there right now.”

And Farmer, a leader within the Twins’ clubhouse, is thankful that the Twins stuck with him.

“I’m proud of myself for fighting through adversity,” he said. “We’ve still got two weeks to prove some more things, but I’ve definitely learned a lot about myself and what I’m going to do to change next year.”

Margot’s record 0

Twins outfielder Manuel Margot made an unfortunate bit of history Tuesday when he pinch hit for Matt Wallner and hit into a double play. With that, Margot is now 0 for 29 this season as a pinch hitter, drawing five walks for a total of 34 hitless plate appearances.

That at-bat broke a tie with Jonny Gomes, who went 0 for 28 as a pinch hitter in 2011 for the Reds and Nationals. With the walks, he ties Gomes for most plate appearances pinch hitting without a hit.

It’s a small sample size, but still, Baldelli said it was “hard to look at that stat and completely disregard it.” In his career, Margot is a .144 hitter with a .441 OPS with one home run and eight driven in in 90 pinch hit at-bats.

“There still might be times this year where he might go out and pinch hit in certain situations,” Baldelli said. “His bat-to-ball ability should lead to positive things happening for us.”

Briefly

The Twins will finish their series in Cleveland at 12:10 CDT before heading to Boston for the final three games of their road trip. … Pitcher Randy Dobnak, who was designated for assignment on Monday to make room on the 40-man roster for Cole Irvin, cleared waivers and accepted the assignment to Triple-A St. Paul.

The piece of artwork is prominently displayed inside the home of former Gophers linebackers coach Mike Sherels.

It’s a custom painting that shows Sherels standing alongside a collection of his former players who have gone on to reach the NFL. It was given as a gift by former Gophers linebacker De’Vondre Campbell as a way to express how much Sherels meant to him during his time with the program.

When a visitor asked about the custom painting in his home last year, Sherels was happy to go down memory lane. He spent roughly 30 seconds talking about each player depicted, finishing up with an ode to former Gophers linebacker Blake Cashman.

“I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t maybe put a little bit of an added emphasis on him,” Sherels said with a laugh. “I kind of knew what I was doing in that moment.”

Former Gophers linebacker coach Mike Sherels received this painting by artist Ryan Fors as a gift. It commemorates the Minnesota players he helped recruit and develop before they went on to the NFL. From left, Jon Celestin, Damien Wilson, Blake Cashman, Kamal Martin, De’Vondre Campbell and Carter Coughlin. (Courtesy of Mike Sherels)

As he retold the story to the Pioneer Press this week, Sherels confirmed the visitor was none other than Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores. They got to know each other last year because their kids go to the same school in Eden Prairie. They have since built a friendship that transcends their shared love for football.

“I’m not texting him, like, ‘Hey great job on Sunday,’” Sherels said. “He did text me on Sunday, though, being, like, ‘Thanks again for the recommendation.’”

The conversation between Sherels and Flores last year set off a chain reaction that led to the Vikings signing Cashman to a 3-year, $22.5 million contract in free agency. After asking Sherels about the custom painting, Flores cued up the film and found himself drawn to the way Cashman played the game.

“I do a little digging I find out he’s going to be a free agent,” Flores said. “I kind of have my eye on him from that point on. You never know what’s going to happen in those scenarios. He was available and now he’s here.”

The impact of Cashman, 28, was palpable last weekend as he finished with 13 tackles, a sack, and a trio of pass deflections to helped lead the Vikings to a 23-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers.

That performance from Cashman garnered a ton of praise from his teammates after the game, whether it was safety Josh Metellus saying, “He played a hell of a game,” or safety Cam Bynum saying, “He has been balling ever since he got here.”

Never mind the injuries that slowed Cashman after starting his career with the New York Jets and Houston Texans. The dominant display that he has put forth with the Vikings so far is exactly what Sherels always believed Cashman could become.

The talent was undeniable when Cashman passed on scholarship offers from smaller schools to walk on with the Gophers. After making the switch from safety to linebacker, Cashman slowly started to make a name for himself.

“The biggest thing that set him a part is that he thought he was a scholarship player,” Sherels said. “He thought he was better than other people, and he didn’t hide it. He was almost kind of annoyed that he had to walk on because he believed in himself so much. That’s exactly the type of kid that we wanted.”

There’s an anecdote that Sherels loves to reference that he feels perfectly encapsulates Cashman’s drive. After a heated exchange during practice, Cashman sat down to watch film with Sherels. They came up with a plan that was supposed to result in more playing time.

“I told him if he did everything we were asking him to do I would find a way to get him onto the field,” Sherels said. “That’s exactly what he did, and when I didn’t get him onto the field, he called me on it. I looked at him and I told him he was right. The next game I got him onto the field.”

Naturally, Cashman rewarded Sherels for his belief, finishing with a pair of sacks.

“That was his moment,” Sherels said. “He earned some playing time and he made the most of it.”

Just like how Cashman is making the most of his moment with the Vikings right now.

“He’s a prototypical linebacker roaming the middle,” Sherels said. “He can fly around and control the game.”

As soon as the Vikings signed Cashman in free agency, Flores texted Sherels, essentially thanking him for helping him connect the dots. Thank goodness Flores was listening after he asked Sherels about that custom painting.

“He was right,” Flores said with a laugh. “He’s brought a lot to the team.”

The excitement that Sherels felt for Cashman stemmed from the fact that he knew he was going to play for somebody that was going to maximize his talent.

“It all worked out,” Sherels said. “I’m just happy to have played a very small part in putting those guys together.”

Blake Cashman #51 of the Minnesota Vikings sacks quarterback Brock Purdy #13 of the San Francisco 49ers during the third quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sept. 15, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)

Related Articles

The Loop Fantasy Football Report Week 3: Kickers putting best foot forward

‘I trust him with my life’: Vikings have full confidence in rookie kicker Will Reichard

Dane Mizutani: The secret for Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson? His relentless determination

Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson isn’t too worried about quad injury

Here are five takeaways from Vikings’ 23-17 win over 49ers

After longtime TV anchor Pat Miles’ husband Charles “Bucky” Zimmerman died of pancreatic cancer in 2018, Miles found herself dealing with myriad decisions and legal issues.

Miles began interviewing other widows and learned she wasn’t alone. She decided to write a book, “Before All is Said and Done: Practical Advice on Living and Dying Well” as a way to help others navigate “the practicalities of death while experiencing shock, loss and grief,” according to one review.

Cathy Wurzer and Pat Miles (Courtesy of Chris McDuffie / MPR News and St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church)

On Sept. 30, Miles and Cathy Wurzer, host of Minnesota Public Radio’s “Morning Edition” and co-host of Twin Cities Public Television’s “Almanac,” will be the featured speakers at an event at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church in Mahtomedi.

During “A Conversation with Pat Miles and Cathy Wurzer: Practical Advice for Living and Dying Well,” which will be 6:30-8:30 p.m., the duo will share their advice “for navigating the oft-ignored problems that run in tandem with the loss of a loved one,” event organizers said.

The evening also will feature music by Bill Chouinard and Sara Renner, with light refreshments following the main event. A resource fair will showcase vendors who offer services applicable to the topic.

Cost for the evening is $25 per person or $40 per couple; all registrants will receive a complimentary copy of Miles’ book. For more information or to register, go to saintandrews.org/event.

Related Articles

Luke Stormwater? Sweepwood Mac? Finalists picked for name of Woodbury’s new street sweeper

Oakdale prop fabrication company behind well-known advertisements acquired by Minneapolis marketing firm

I-94 ramp, lane closures begin Wednesday between Oakdale and Woodbury

Author Jim Lammers headlines Washington County Historical Society meeting

Woman dies in Hugo home and, after search, sheriff’s office takes her 45-year-old son into custody