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Chief deputy Karl Erickson has worked in Polk County for nearly three decades and says law enforcement resources are often stretched thin. Here he checks on a sleeping motorist along Highway 102 on Thursday, Aug. 9, 2012.
Photo by Ann Arbor Miller for MPR News (Read the story here
Although rural crime rates are lower than those in urban areas, public safety takes a big share of local government budgets outstate. So it has come under scrutiny in a time of fiscal restraint. At the same time, in areas where populations are dwindling and aging, security concerns can change. Telecommunications, surveillance and other technology are changing how law enforcement deals with safety. And for some, what is needed is a greater sense of personal responsibility when it comes to their safety. A special Ground Level news report explores how new approaches to old problems are offering both hope and new dilemmas. Here are some of the best photos from the project.
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Guy Adams, photographed Monday, July 23, 2012 near Rockford, Minn., is Heartland Security's general manager. The business helps farmers and others in rural locations watch over their property remotely using things like video cameras, temperature sensors and mobile phone apps.
MPR Photo/Jennifer Simonson (Read the story here
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Chief deputy Karl Erickson has worked in Polk County for nearly three decades and says law enforcement resources are often stretched thin. Here he checks on a sleeping motorist along Highway 102 on Thursday, Aug. 9, 2012.
Photo by Ann Arbor Miller for MPR News (Read the story here
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"I know people feel a lot more comfortable when law enforcement is around," says John Frohrip, city administrator for Fertile. "I know I feel more comfortable when law enforcement is around." However, Frohrip says his town simply does not have the dollars to pay for dedicated officers. Frohrip was photographed at the city offices on Thursday, Aug. 9, 2012.
Photo by Ann Arbor Miller for MPR News (Read the story here
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