The Minot City Council voted Monday against the recommendation of City Manager Harold Stewart to bring in a retired West Fargo police chief to guide the department over the next three to six months while a search for a permanent replacement ensues.

Council member Lisa Olson moved to continue with Capt. Dale Plessas serving as acting chief.

“I don’t think it’s the right time,” she said of bringing in a new interim chief, citing the investigation into department operations under the former chief, along with an officer-involved shooting and two deaths. “They have gone through a lot and allowing Captain Plessas, who has been the interim chief, to remain on for the next few months until we could find a permanent chief would be the best for the morale and healing of the police department.”

The council voted 5-2 to support Olson’s motion, with dissents from council member Mark Jantzer and Mayor Tom Ross.

“With this decision, we’re going to slow down the process of making any changes,” Stewart said. “I believe we need a police chief at the helm with the experience to help verify that we have identified the problem correctly, and the solutions that we’ve identified as going to be the best way to address that issue.”

Stewart noted Plessas has done a fantastic job.

“He’s very capable of maintaining the status quo, which is what we’ve been doing, which has been difficult to do in the last few months with everything we’ve endured, and it’s been admirable,” Stewart said. However, when it comes to making policy changes with long-term consequences, it is better to have someone at the helm who will be part of the picture long term, he said of waiting for a permanent hire.

Council member Paul Pitner said the ability to maintain the status quo in the department isn’t a bad thing.

“We just start with that for the next three to six to nine months – in the time that it takes. I think that is progress. I think that potentially is moving this organization forward,” Pitner said.

“I would say our police department is made up of fantastic individuals that are doing their best every single day, and there’s more that they’re doing right than what needs to be looked and adapted and fixed,” Stewart said. “But I’m going to be honest and real. We have some things that we need to work on and address to be a better department – a department that our officers want to stay and be a part of.”

He estimated 16-17 vacant positions exist in the department currently, with officers leaving as quickly as new ones can be hired.

Members of the public also weighed in on the discussion later in the meeting.

Kristi Burgess questioned the $100,000 appropriated for an outside investigation into internal complaints about the job performance of former chief John Klug.

“It’s always easy to hire somebody, throw it in somebody else’s lap,” she said. “You are worried about how people are feeling on the police force? Why don’t you sit down with them? Find out what they like about their job and what they don’t. But don’t look to outsource it. Take ownership of where you’re at.”

Josiah Roise suggested merging the police department with the Ward County Sheriff’s Office to put the operation under an elected official.

“It’s very disconnected from the people,” he said of the department. “You’ve got duos and trios of cop cars that cruise Broadway, looking for people to pull over for seatbelt violations and dark tinted windows and things like that, that aren’t really harming anybody. I don’t want to pay for that.”

Andrew Ronningen spoke to support the police department.

“These men and women form bonds that none of us could ever imagine to form, by serving the community and putting their lives on the line every day. Captain Plessas, who has served with the Minot Police Department, understands these bonds better than anyone,” he said. Bringing an outsider in could help, he acknowledged.

“But we’re rolling the dice and taking a gamble. It could also demoralize them even further. It could cause even more unnecessary and unneeded loss of police officers,” he said.

The council also approved a settlement agreement with Klug that enables him to remain on the employee roster to be eligible for benefits until his retirement in March 2026. He would not be paid a salary but would be compensated for earned, unused paid time off and would be free to seek employment elsewhere.