Law Enforcement

The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office maintains an office in Ely, MN.  This office houses four deputies who provide law enforcement services for the Ely community.  Their patrol area encompasses approximately 200 square miles of rural and lake properties.  Deputies in this duty station are often called upon to work overtime.

The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office also has outlying duty stations in Cook, which is responsible for law enforcement within the City of Cook, Orr, and Kabetogama area.  They cover approximately 1800 square miles, composed primarily of wilderness area, with the major population areas being Cook, Orr, Crane Lake, the Lake Kabetogama area, the Lake Vermilion (West End) area, and a variety of other small residential areas scattered throughout the region.  The patrol area includes Voyageurs National Park and a portion of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.  Patrol is done by motor vehicle, snowmobile, and boat in this area.

The St. Louis County Sheriff's Office provides law enforcement services on a contractual basis for the cities of Mountain Iron and Rice Lake.  The Sheriff's Office receives payment for patrol coverage and associated costs for this additional service and staffing requirements.

City of Mountain Iron - The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office provides law enforcement services for the community of Mountain Iron.  The Mountain Iron Sheriff’s Office consists of one Sergeant and four deputies and their patrol area is approximately 52 square miles.

City of Rice Lake - The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office provides law enforcement services for the community of Rice Lake. There is one deputy assigned to the City of Rice Lake. 

The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Response Team (ERT) was formed in 1985 and has over 40 members. The Emergency Response Team is available 365 days a year to assist local, regional, and statewide jurisdictions needing tactical assistance. The St Louis County Emergency Response Team is considered and is one of the best trained, equipped and most active teams north of the Metro area.

Over its nearly 40-year history the Emergency Response Team has assisted several Police Departments, Sheriff’s Offices as well as State and Federal Agencies, safely resolve many high-risk critical incidents.

The primary duties of the Emergency Response Team are to:

• Respond to Hostage situations.
• Respond to situations involving barricaded and dangerous suspects.
• Execute dangerous and high-risk arrest or search warrants.
• Provide services related to control during civil unrest involving mass arrests.
• Provide security for dignitary protection.

The Emergency Response Team is comprised of several sub-teams that work together to complete its mission. These sub teams include command staff, tactical team leaders, operators, snipers, medics, negotiations, dispatchers, and other support personnel to include medical and psychological.  

Each team member receives specialized training in their area of expertise and train together monthly. The team has state-of-the-art equipment and technology that has increased the level of safety for everyone involved.

The Emergency Response Team continues to be a group of very dedicated and well-trained individuals who will be ready to respond to most dangerous of incidents in St. Louis County and surrounding areas.