Dec 7, 2023 · The police department in the remote north woods Minnesota town of Ely has faced the same challenges of recruiting and keeping new officers as countless other law enforcement agencies around the country, but it’s offering a unique incentive: canoes.

Aug 26, 2024 · Ely Police began offering new hires a canoe, paddles, and life jackets this past winter. ELY, Minnesota — Recruiting new officers to the police force has become more increasingly competitive...

Dec 6, 2023 · The Ely Police Department created this "we're hiring" image highlighting an offer of a free canoe for police officers who join the department.

Dec 8, 2023 · Ely, a former mining and logging community that’s best known as a gateway to the popular Boundary Waters Canoe Area, will provide free Kevlar canoes worth $3,800 to the next officers it hires — and to current employees.

Dec 8, 2023 · Become one of its officers, and you get a canoe. The Ely Police Department only has seven full-time officers and one administrative assistant. The town is located along Shagawa Lake in an area known for the state’s Boundary Waters. Any new officer hired by the department will receive a Kevlar canoe, two paddles, and two life jackets.

Dec 7, 2023 · So it's offering a unique incentive: canoes. Ely, a former mining and logging community that's best known as a gateway to the popular Boundary Waters Canoe Area, will provide free Kevlar canoes...

Dec 7, 2023 · Want a new canoe? Then become a cop in the small, leafy town of Ely, Minnesota and you’ll get one free. Ely – population circa 3,000 – is near the Canadian border and acts as gateway to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

In a small town at the edge of the fabled Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, a police department is incentivizing recruits with a pretty sweet sign-on bonus—free Kevlar Wenonah Canoes. Ely, Minnesota, has a population of just over 3,000 residents in a …

Dec 8, 2023 · The Ely Police Department is offering free Kevlar canoes to attract new hires and retain current employees. (Courtesy Ely police/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Jan 11, 2024 · Instead of turning to conventional hiring and retention initiatives, Ely Police Department is offering new and current officers free canoe packages in an effort to lean into what sets Ely apart from other Minnesota communities.