CARLTON - In the aftermath of last week's Hells Angels rally in Carlton, law enforcement agencies have begun to add up the overtime cost of extra enforcement efforts during the event.
Area departments are reporting overtime bills ranging from a few thousand dollars to nearly $40,000, but all expect to have most of their costs covered by grants and reimbursements from the federal government.
Carlton County Sheriff Kelly Lake reported to the County Board on Tuesday that overtime costs for her department amounted to about $38,000, all of which she said was covered through grants secured by the department.
But Lake came under fire at the meeting when county residents challenged not only the amount of money spent but the way the law enforcement effort was conducted.
One resident, Mark Henschel, said the law enforcement effort bordered on harassment. He said his girlfriend's son was pulled over twice on his motorcycle for "no probable cause," and another acquaintance pulled into work on a motorcycle and allegedly had law enforcement personnel "point their weapons at him."
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Lake said planning for the event was based on what has worked for other agencies involved in covering Hells Angels rallies.
Lake said law enforcement also spent considerable time monitoring the Hells Angels' rival group, the Outlaws, based in Wisconsin.
"The Hells Angels chose this particular location for a reason," she said, "and we knew we had to keep the two groups apart. When the two groups have come together in the past, there have been shootings, stabbings and other incidents of violence. It would be much more expensive to lose a life than it was to provide the extra law enforcement."
Henschel pointed the finger at outside police agencies who he said were "going wild in an effort to show the Hells Angels they were not welcome here."
Lake said her office has not received a single formal complaint about any of the traffic stops that were made during the Hells Angels visit.
Lake said a total of 1,093 traffic stops were made by all the agencies involved from July 27 to Aug. 2. Of those, 355 resulted in minor citations, 33 of which were issued to members of the Hells Angels, and 26 arrests were made, including three members of the Hells Angels and their associates.
Commissioners Marv Bodie and Tom Proulx endorsed the law enforcement effort. Bodie said if no one got hurt and no one remains in jail at taxpayer expense, it was a success.
"I don't think you need to apologize to anyone," Proulx said.
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Overtime costs for other departments:
- Cloquet Police Department, $21,000 to $25,000.
- Proctor Police Department, $2,000.
- Hermantown Police Department, $1,058.
Duluth police and the St. Louis County Sheriff's office have not yet compiled overtime expenses for the event. The Minnesota State Patrol said it would provide costs for the event only after receiving a formal request, and no word was available regarding costs incurred by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Fond du Lac Police or Moose Lake Police.
