Having served in the policing profession for over 18 years, Chief Brandon Silgjord skillfully leverages his influence to empower others, providing a harmonious blend of support and autonomy to encourage his team to develop into effective leaders. He has rapidly gained the affection and backing of his colleagues in the City of Sartell and the broader community. 

Chief Silgjord’s experiences span from patrol to canine handler to SWAT operations, and he’s filled leadership roles from sergeant to division commander overseeing multiple law enforcement and civilian operations. His achievements are innumerable. He helped create and implement a countywide mental health co-response model including a 24-hour crisis response team, gave oversight to and administered a field-based reporting and intelligence sharing system across multiple jurisdictions, commissioned and deployed a multijurisdictional crime mapping system, enhanced recruitment and retention initiatives, and instructed academy and college-level courses on multiple subjects with a focus on officer wellness and resiliency, just to name a few accomplishments. 

In the past year alone, while chief of police for  the City of Sartell, he has initiated a brand new K9 program including patrol and therapy K9s, developed a new organizational structure and shift schedule to alleviate burnout and increase minimum staffing levels, advocated for the department’s role on the Central Minnesota Human Sex Trafficking Commission, and participated in a statewide mental health campaign to bring awareness and resources to PTSD in the policing profession. 

As the very first externally hired police chief within the City of Sartell, Chief Silgjord’s ability to integrate so quickly into the department is a testament to his character and leadership. He continues to bring a renewed sense of energy and progressive policing to the team and has demonstrated an ability to guide effectively both now and into the future.  

“The vision of leaving our communities in a better state than when we first encountered them, and inspiring others to do the same, keeps me going.”