Moorhead Police Chief Chris Helmick speaks at the City Council meeting on March 23, 2026
MOORHEAD (KFGO) – The Moorhead Police Department will be selling surplus equipment, including handguns and holsters. The City Council approved the request following a lengthy and emotional discussion.
Councilmember Deb White asked that the equipment not be made available to the public after a man impersonating a police officer assassinated former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, and shot Sen. John Hoffman and his wife last summer.
“I would hate to have it on our conscience that we sold something that was then used for something as horrific as what happened last summer,” White said.
White’s husband is a Minnesota State Senator and had to flee her home out of safety concerns following the shootings on June 14, 2025.
“I don’t think anybody anticipated that someone would impersonate an officer and go to multiple homes and assassinate people. There is a lot of discussion now of things we could do to try to make that less feasible.”
Police Chief Chris Helmick says the department has sold surplus equipment before and many other departments also do it.
Councilmember Lisa Borgen says the resale of equipment is something the police department handles responsibly.
“We’re talking about holsters and flashlights and things that are not guns, because our police department does a very good job of getting rid of guns by giving them to a reputable dealer who will take care of them. So I think it’s performative and I don’t think a council should be doing performative measures,” Borgen said.
Chief Helmick says police officers will first have the option to purchase the handguns, holsters and weapon lights.
The handguns that aren’t sold to officers will go to Northern Plains Gunworks to be sold as used firearms. The holsters and weapon lights will be put in the city’s public auction.
Councilmembers Deb White and Nicole Mattson voted against auctioning the gun accessories, but it passed 6-2.
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