ON THE COVER // MARK EMPTING

Sheriff of Clay County and Fire Chief of the Dilworth Fire Department

WRITTEN BY: MEGHAN FEIR PHOTOS BY: URBAN TOAD MEDIA

Mark Empting, fire chief of the Dilworth Fire Department and the new sheriff of Clay County, has a long history with the area surrounding Dilworth, Minn. As a kid in the ‘70s and ‘80s, the small town of Dilworth was different than it is now. The railroadcentered community is still close-knit and welcoming, but back then the residents consumed a lot more spaghetti.

Growing up on the south side of the tracks in an area dubbed “Little Italy,” Empting was primarily raised by his mom and grandparents, all full-blooded Italians. That part of the community was where many Italian immigrants had settled a few generations before.

Neighboring the rambler-style home his dad had built, Empting and his family were surrounded by aunts, uncles and cousins.

“I lived within a stone’s throw of them. You really couldn’t get away with much in Dilworth because everybody knew you,” Empting said. “I had family in darn near every corner. It was a small town and you knew everybody. If I did do something wrong, it didn’t take long for mom to hear about it. By the time I came home, she’d already had a phone call telling her what had happened.”

Despite the unnerving sapience of loving yet watchful eyes, Empting’s childhood had a lot of freedom.

“It was a time where you left the house at 10 in the morning and came home at dark. It was fun. If your mom needed to get a hold of you, she knew about one of five places she could call,” Empting said.

"It was a small town and you knew everybody. If I did do something wrong, it didn’t take long for mom to hear about it. By the time I came home, she’d already had a phone call telling her what had happened."

After he turned 5 years old, his parents divorced and his father moved to the Iron Range in northern Minnesota where he worked as a roadmaster for the railroad. Empting’s mother worked at The Academy, a modeling agency in Fargo. When she was at work, his siblings and he would walk to their grandparents’ place, a building downtown that held his grandfather’s barbershop below and their apartment above.

During the many days he spent at the barbershop, Empting could look across the street and watch the activity brewing at City Hall and the Dilworth Fire Department. He would even go over to talk to the firemen. As time went by, his admiration grew as he imagined the adrenaline rush of answering the call to help people in their greatest time of need.

Adrenaline junkie In 1991, only a month after turning 18, he joined the Dilworth Fire Department. Still in high school, Empting would occasionally have to leave class during a fire call, but he was dedicated to his new role.

Thirty years later, Empting has experienced his fair share of danger. Going into a burning building is always precarious, but some situations have been particularly hazardous.

“Probably the hottest fire I’ve ever been in was a house fire where we were searching for animals. When we were in there it got so super hot it was melting the shields on our helmets,” Empting said. “It’s been some great times. Any member of a fire department is going to be kind of an adrenaline junkie. That’s one of the reasons you get into it. Those are actually fun times because you’re out there helping the community. It’s the worst time of their life, but you’re able to help them out a little bit.”

For the past 7 years, Empting has been Dilworth’s fire chief. He stays out of the burning buildings now to direct the situations at hand, but the knowledge and experiences he has under his belt make him a vital asset to everyone’s safety.

"Probably the hottest fire I’ve ever been in was a house fire where we were searching for animals. When we were in there it got so super hot it was melting the shields on our helmets.”

Clay County Sheriff Mark Empting and Cass County Sheriff Jesse Jahner teamed up to raise awareness for Veterans and the homeless population in our community. They braved the arctic cold blast while sleeping outside on the evening of February 5th at the Moorhead American Legion Post 21.

“I don’t necessary go in anymore to do stuff like that, but I’m coming on the scene to make sure people are being safe and that they have the resources they need to put the fires out,” he said.

Up to the challenge

Along with his pre-established desire to help others in need and satisfy his desire for an occasional adrenaline rush, Empting soon figured out the next step he needed to take and enrolled at Alexandria Technical College for law enforcement in 1993.

“Law enforcement always piqued my interest as well,” he said. “I saw some of the things that law enforcement did when I would work alongside them in the fire department, so I went to Alex Tech and graduated from there in ’95.”

In 1997, Empting started working for the Glyndon Police Department and served Glyndon and Dilworth before being hired by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office in 2002. He was promoted as a shift commander in January 2014, and less than two years later, he was promoted to patrol lieutenant and then patrol commander to oversee the entire patrol division. Another milestone in his career happened this January when Empting was elected sheriff of Clay County. “It’s been a great and joyous career,” he said. “I wouldn’t and couldn’t imagine doing anything else. I’ve had the opportunity to mentor and teach new officers coming in. That’s one of the things I’ve really enjoyed. It’s been fun for me, growing and learning, and I learn things from them every day as well.”

Building trust

In all his years of serving, Empting, like every fireman and officer, has faced a lot of pressure. But in today’s tumultuous times, tension has been elevated to new heights.

“Right now the profession is definitely getting a little tougher and harder, but we’re really unique here in Clay County because we do have a lot of strong support from our community members. They support our mission,” Empting said.

Part of their immediate action plan this year has been to implement body cameras and more protective gear.

“Before we rolled these out, I definitely wanted to talk to our staff to get their ideas and thoughts—and their buy-

in, quite frankly. It was easy,” he said. “They wanted body cameras to protect themselves and the county, and it holds us more accountable too. Everybody was happy to have them.”

As officers continue to get nationally scrutinized because of devastating incidences of misconduct and, in some cases, only partially revealed storylines, Empting hopes Americans will come to a few realizations.

“I think a lot of our community already understands that we are human beings and there are times we do make mistakes. I’ve made plenty of mistakes over my life and career, but I’ll be the first one to admit them,” he said. “I understand you’re human, but it’s how you address the mistake. Do you accept responsibility, learn from it and move forward? I can work with that. In our political climate, we don’t see people being willing to say they messed up.”

While it’s difficult for law enforcement to anticipate the future, some goals remain constant for Empting and his team.

“We have such a great community here in Clay County. We need to continue to work on maintaining their trust and building the trust of people who aren’t comfortable around us,” Empting said. “We continue to look at what we can do to strive for excellence, what kind of equipment and things we can give the staff to make their lives easier and better, what we can do for the community and how to better serve them. It’s not necessarily a 5-year-plan, but it’s a daily plan where you’re always looking for better ways to serve the community and those who are working for you.”

Living the good life

From the seeds of servitude planted in a small-town boy’s heart to the harvest of those dreams benefiting the same community, there’s no doubt Empting’s roles are a huge part of his life’s calling. If he could change anything about the direction he’s taken, he wouldn’t. He already believes he’s living his best life.

“I truly appreciate the support for the sheriff’s office and the area I work. I don’t want to take that for granted,” Empting said. “‘Living the good life’ is what I’m doing right now, seriously. I enjoy our community and the people that are a part of this team. They make my life a good life. I can’t ask for a better group of people than I have here. It’s been great, especially as sheriff, and I can’t think of doing anything else.” •

“It’s been a great two years, especially as sheriff, and I can’t think of doing anything else.”