Police Chief Jason Freedman speaks to the Grand Forks City Council about safety at public events.
GRAND FORKS, N.D. (KFGO) – The Grand Forks Police Chief asked the city council for more money, saying he is concerned about safety at some public events.
Chief Jason Freedman asked for $50,000 to cover overtime costs so they can have more officers at large, outdoor events.
He says the City of Grand Forks has about 15 to 20 events each year that have a lot of potential vulnerabilities.
“We know when the event is going to happen, we know where it’s going to happen. It also gives those who are intent on causing harm the opportunity to plan,” Freedman told the city council. “These are also unfortunately high value in terms of the number of potential victims that are there. There are large numbers of people. The ability to harm many people very quickly exists for these events.”
Chief Freedman provided several examples across the country where people were injured or killed at public events. Six people were killed and 62 wounded in Waukesha, Wisconsin in 2021 after someone drove a vehicle through a parade. A sniper attacked a 4th of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois in 2022 killing seven people and wounding 48 more. A vehicle was also used during an attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Eve 2025, killing 15 people and injuring 57.
“Frankly a heightened threat environment,” Freedman said. “Certainly since 2020 the willingness of some people to do terrible things seems to be on the rise and we haven’t seen the level of political violence that we have right now in probably a couple of generations. So there are many things that drive concerns for me when it comes to some of our special events.”
Freedman says the funding would be used to staff events with more officers and emergency responders.
“These are not officers that are on the corner directing traffic, these are officers that are in reserve, in positions where they can monitor, they can track, and they can either intervene or stop a threat before it develops or as it’s developing before it inflicts maximum casualties,” Freedman explained to the council.
The Grand Forks City Council unanimously approved $50,000 to cover overtime costs for police officers, firefighters, EMS and staff in other city departments
Police Chief Jason Freedman asks the Grand Forks City Council for additional funding on Feb. 2, 2026.
who may be asked to help with event security in the future.
Freedman says Grand Forks Police are looking into getting a Vehicle Defense System. His department will get a free demo in the spring. He says it’s extremely effective, but also expensive.
In the meantime, he will work with other city departments to improve security at large, outdoor public events. Freedman suggested staging large vehicles, such as dump trucks or buses at significant intersections near events to slow down potential threats.
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