One year ago, the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association (MCPA) launched a statewide video series called Wear the Badge, a campaign aimed at improving the recruitment and retention of police officers. Elk River Police Officer Tom Chaffin was selected as one of 15 video subjects to be a part of this project, as ERPD Chief Ron Nierenhausen felt the public would connect with Officer Chaffin’s journey through his law enforcement career.
Recently, MCPA decided to extend the video series as well as collaborate with the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Foundation to launch the Wear the Badge Scholarship program. Scholarships are available to Minnesota undergraduate students studying law enforcement and related fields, offering awards of $500 to new students and $1,000 to advanced students. Eligibility requirements, application and information on how to make a tax deductible donation to the Wear the Badge Scholarship program can be found here.
In case you missed Officer Chaffin’s Wear the Badge spotlight, it can be viewed on the Elk River Police Department’s Facebook page, or on the City of Elk River’s YouTube channel.