The Greater St. Cloud Public Safety Foundation: A Modern Approach to Community Engagement and Safety

In 2014, the St. Cloud, Minnesota, Police Department recognized an opportunity to create a new program aimed at strengthening community engagement and safety for a neighborhood in need of revitalization. With the collaboration of key community partners, the Greater St. Cloud Public Safety Foundation was born with goals to collaborate and strategize with public safety service providers to build safe communities in the St. Cloud area. The Community OutPost was built with the goal of providing needed police, health care, and other related services to a diverse and high-need population. The Community OutPost is a 2018 U.S. Department of Justice COPS Office L. Anthony Sutin Civic Imagination of the Year Award recipient and is the headline for federal legislation proposed by Congressman Tom Emmer of Minnesota.