Rosemount Police Chief Resigns Amid Anonymous Complaints
The city of Rosemount and its police chief, Mikael Dahlstrom, have parted ways, two months after he was placed on leave due to complaints made against him in an anonymous employee engagement survey. The city council approved Dahlstrom’s resignation and a separation agreement, which includes severance and benefits pay totaling just over $164,000.
Mikael Dahlstrom (Courtesy of the City of Rosemount)
Background and Investigation
Dahlstrom, a 20-year veteran of the Rosemount police department, was put on paid administrative leave on October 1, with the city announcing the move two days later on its website. The city later revealed that it had received several internal complaints about Dahlstrom, which were being reviewed. The complaints were made through an anonymous employee engagement survey, which was sent to all city employees in August via the civic engagement online platform Polco.
The survey, which was voluntary and anonymous, asked employees to rate several aspects of their jobs and their supervisor’s performance. It also included an open-ended question for employees to provide additional comments, concerns, or suggestions to help improve their experience with the city. The survey results will not be made public, as the city’s legal counsel has confirmed that they are not required to release them due to the anonymous nature of the survey.
Separation Agreement and Next Steps
The separation agreement, which was approved by the city council, includes six months’ salary of about $96,600, a year of health and dental insurance of $14,100, unused vacation pay of $19,700, and unused sick time, which will be put into Dahlstrom’s state health care savings account, totaling about $33,500. Deputy Chief Carson Thomas was appointed interim chief upon Dahlstrom’s leave and will remain in the role until a permanent chief is chosen.
According to City Administrator Logan Martin, the terms of the agreement are “common practice in municipal government.” Mayor Jeff Weisensel stated that the city takes workplace culture seriously and is committed to fostering a positive and healthy work environment. “Supporting a culture of high performance is a core pillar of our strategic plan,” Weisensel said. “Morale, teamwork, and personal accountability are just as important to our mission as the results that we deliver.”
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