During the 2023 legislative session, $300 million in one-time aid was approved for public safety aid. Each police department received a share of this money dependent on their population. NUPD Chief Dave Borchert said the New Ulm Police Department received $446,688 of this money. The aid does come with stipulations.

“We can’t use it if we’re being sued for something as officers,” Borchert said. “We can’t use it for purchase of armored vehicles or chemical munitions [like tear gas]. We can’t use it for construction or remodeling. I can’t just build a new police department.”

Borchert said the aid was generally non-restrictive and he was pleased with the free range of what they were able to do. He said they knew well in advance the money was coming and how much. One of the largest expenditures is a new K9 unit vehicle.

“The canine replacement is $78,847 with buildup,” Borchert said. “The buildup comes from a lot of equipment like automatic thermostats. They start up the car to keep the dog comfortable in winter conditions and also in the middle of summer. It’s fairly expensive.”

Thanks to $446,688 from the state of Minnesota, the New Ulm Police Department will soon be able to get two new police cars to replace older models. The money comes from $300 million in public safety aid distributed to local government across Minnesota based on population.

The K9 vehicle they will be replacing is from 2013. Generally, these squad cars have a five-year lifespan due to a higher-than-usual amount of idling time they have to keep their dogs ready to go. With more than double that lifespan, Borchert said it needed to be replaced.

Other large expenditures include two new squad cars at $130,000 total, $100,00 in computer server upgrades, and six mobile radios for $34,200. These will seek to replace outdated equipment, as older squad cars outlive their usefulness. New radios and computer upgrades will allow for better communication and security.

In-house mental health training through the Barbara Schneider Program, developing an in-house drone program for finding missing individuals, and an additional squad car computer make up the rest of the funding used during this cycle. Borchert said what remains will be held on to and used in the short-term future.

It was not a one-man operation deciding what the funding should go toward. Borchert said input from his team and the community factored greatly in determining what was needed.

“I met with my team,” he said. “We talked about at a department meeting with some wishes and goals the other officers brought in. I like to include everybody. We’re all professionals. I asked for feedback because if just ask people informally for input you can get really good information. The drone work with our canine program is extremely effective, and that was feedback I got from the community.”

Throughout his career in law enforcement, Borchert said he has never seen this much funding before. Often when police departments need additional money they have to compete for grants. The amount of money received, combined with not having to compete for it, is something Borchert said was unheard of.

Without it, Borchert said these improvements would have been a much longer roadmap.

“If I wouldn’t have received this funding, it would have been a four-year investment,” he said. “I would have had to hit property taxes because I wouldn’t have been able to do it all at one time. For $446,000, that’s 5% of the property tax levy for the city. That’s not responsible, sustainable, or realistic.”

Borchert said he is grateful for the investment in public safety made by the state. With all of the projects and replacements funded, he hopes to continue making the NUPD better for the people.

“[I’d like] to maintain the bond we have with the community,” Borchert said. “In New Ulm, we have the luxury where we get along very well with our community and our community supports us. [We have to] continue strengthening those bonds.”