PUBLIC SAFETY

Bemidji Police Department

Non-emergencies: 333-9111 Emergencies: 911

The Bemidji Police Department consists of 34 licensed officers led by Police Chief Mike Mastin. Officers respond to all public safety and traffic calls, and six detectives handle the more complicated or lengthy felony investigations. The department has 26 officers assigned to the patrol division, and two of these officers are assigned as school resource officers in the Bemidji area schools. A team of four support staff handles data entry, crime mapping, evidence intake, parking enforcement, animal control and many office support duties.

Officer squad cars are equipped with life-saving equipment such as defibrillators, first aid supplies and Naloxone. Officers also are equipped with body-worn cameras.

The police department belongs to a multi-jurisdictional SWAT team that responds to high-risk situations and search warrants.

The department has an officer assigned to the Paul Bunyan Drug Task Force as well as the Headwaters Safe Trails Task Force.

Bemidji Ambulance Service

1419 Anne St. NW 444-3328

Bemidji Ambulance Service is the largest privately-owned ambulance service in Minnesota, and has been family owned and operated since 1961.

It responds to more than 6,000 calls for service each year, and covers two counties and three municipalities. The service also offers interfacility transfers to the Fargo/Moorhead area, Duluth, the Twin Cities and Rochester. Bemidji Ambulance is a full-time Advanced Life Support service, staffing four duty crews 24/7, 365 days a year.

Bemidji Fire Department

Business: 751-8001 Emergencies: 911

The Bemidji Fire Department consists of seven full-time firefighters, Deputy Chief Mike Yavarow and Fire Chief Justin Sherwood, along with four paid on-call resident firefighters and 50 paid-on-call firefighters.

The Bemidji Rural Fire Association partners with the City of Bemidji to provide fire protection for the Bemidji area. The department covers city limits, 15 townships and the communities of Wilton and Turtle River. The total fire department service area covers 522 square miles that include approximately 45,000 people.

The fire department responds to more than 1,200 emergency calls each year.

Community members can schedule tours of the department by calling 751-8001. A mobile fire safety training house is available to communities and events for fire safety training during the spring and summer months.

The fire department has four stations. Station No. 1 is located at 318 Fifth St. NW, Station No. 2 is located at 312 Lake Ave. SE, Station No. 3 is located at 3810 Moberg Drive NW and Station No. 4 is located at 920 Winter Sumac Road NE.

Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office

Non-emergencies: 333-9111 Emergencies: 911

The Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office is led by Sheriff Jason Riggs and is located in the Beltrami County Law Enforcement Center, 613 Minnesota Ave. NW.

The Sheriff’s Office works to enforce all federal, state and local laws, as well as being responsible for the provision of other services to the public through all divisions of the Sheriff’s Office: field patrol deputies, criminal investigators, civil process officers, 911 communications officers, bailiffs, corrections officers, records technicians, boat and water and snowmobile patrol officers, emergency management and administrative staff.

The Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office staff includes a chief deputy, seven sergeants, one patrol captain, three investigators, 19 patrol deputies, two recreational enforcement deputies, four court dep uties, six bailiffs, 15 communications officers, seven records technicians, one emergency manager, and a jail staff of 38.

Deputies patrol more than 3,000 square miles in Beltrami County, including more than 1,500 miles of county, state and township roads, more than 1.5 million acres of land including over 600 lakes encompassing 362,887 acres of water and several miles of rivers.

The Paul Bunyan Drug Task Force is a cooperative effort on behalf of Beltrami County, the City of Bemidji, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Cass County, Hubbard County, the City of International Falls, Koochiching County, Leech Lake Nation, Mahnomen County, the Minnesota National Guard Counterdrug Task Force, the City of Park Rapids, and the White Earth Nation. There are 13 full-time agents and one National Guard analyst assigned to the task force which is supervised by commander Joe Kleszyk of the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office.

Building permits

City of Bemidji

Building Department, 315 Fifth St. NW, Suite 2 759-3573

Building permits are required whenever a structure is altered in a way that is regulated by the building code. Some examples are adding a room, building a garage or deck, finishing a basement, replacing windows or siding and remodeling involving the removal or replacement of Sheetrock or plaster. A mechanical permit is needed for furnace replacement. Examples of work that does not require a permit are painting, wallpapering, replacement of kitchen cabinets or vanities and the installation of carpeting or vinyl or wood floors.

Physical permit applications are available at the Building Department Office, an option for an online application will also be on the City of Bemidji website on the Building Department’s page.

The Greater Bemidji Area Joint Planning Board will review setbacks and zoning regulations. If plans do not meet the criteria, the property owner may submit an application requesting a hearing before the Greater Bemidji Area Joint Planning Commission, which meets on the fourth Thursday of the month. The Joint Planning Commission holds public hearings and makes recommendations to the Joint Planning Board, which meets on the second Wednesday of the month.

The Planning office and Building Department are both located at the same address.

Beltrami County

Environmental Services Department, 333-4158

Beltrami County does not have a countywide zoning ordinance, so land use permits are not required in the county except in shoreland areas. Several townships, however, do have zoning ordinances and developers should check local townships for such ordinances.

The county administers the Shoreland Management Ordinance, which restricts developments near bodies of water, and the Subdivision Controls Ordinance, which regulates the subdividing of land in the county.

The county enforces regulations pertaining to sewage treatment systems and issues permits for building and sewer in shoreland areas and investigates environmental health complaints.

The county is also responsible for coordinating the Mississippi Headwaters Board ordinances, which pertain to development within the river corridor.

The Beltrami County Planning Commission meets on the fourth Monday of the month.