Anoka County Board Approves $500,000 Public Safety Levy for Countywide Data System Upgrade

The Anoka County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a $500,000 public safety levy on Dec. 2 to help fund a major upgrade to the county’s public safety data system, a critical piece of infrastructure used daily by law enforcement and fire agencies across the county.

The levy will support a countywide replacement of Anoka County’s current public safety data platform, which was originally purchased and implemented in 2015. The upgrade is part of the Anoka County Joint Law Enforcement Council’s long term capital improvement plan and is intended to ensure that public safety agencies continue to operate with modern, reliable, and interoperable technology.

County officials say the existing system, now nearly a decade old, has reached a point where replacement is necessary to maintain operational effectiveness, cybersecurity standards, and compatibility with evolving public safety technologies.

Supporting First Responders and Public Safety

The public safety data system serves as a shared platform that allows fire departments, law enforcement agencies, and emergency responders across Anoka County to access and exchange critical information during emergencies. The system supports coordinated responses by providing real time access to data that can affect both responder safety and public outcomes.

When it was implemented in 2015, the system replaced several outdated fire dispatch and reporting platforms and significantly improved information sharing between agencies. The upcoming upgrade is expected to build on those capabilities, ensuring continued reliability and adaptability as public safety demands grow more complex.

County leaders emphasized that the levy will help distribute the cost of the upgrade in a predictable and transparent way while supporting agencies that rely on the system daily.

Role of the Joint Law Enforcement Council

The project is overseen through the Anoka County Joint Law Enforcement Council, or JLEC, which was formed in 1970 to promote cooperation and shared planning among the county’s public safety leadership.

The JLEC includes the Anoka County Attorney, the Anoka County Sheriff, two county commissioners, and representatives from municipal law enforcement leadership. Its membership also reflects the county’s diverse policing structure, which includes both cities with their own police departments and communities that contract with the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement services.

In addition to representatives from cities with independent police departments, the council includes two elected officials representing the eight communities that contract with the sheriff’s office: Andover, Bethel, Columbus, East Bethel, Ham Lake, Linwood Township, Nowthen, and Oak Grove.

Through the JLEC, participating agencies jointly plan and fund major public safety initiatives, including shared technology systems that would be cost prohibitive or inefficient for individual jurisdictions to manage on their own.

Looking Ahead

County officials have indicated that the public safety data system upgrade will be implemented as part of a phased capital improvement strategy, with careful coordination among participating agencies to avoid service disruptions.

The $500,000 levy represents one step in ensuring that Anoka County’s public safety infrastructure keeps pace with technological and operational needs, while maintaining the collaborative approach that has defined the Joint Law Enforcement Council for more than five decades.

The levy was approved unanimously, reflecting broad consensus among county leaders on the importance of investing in shared public safety systems that support first responders and protect residents across Anoka County.

MinneapoliMedia