(ABC 6 News) – From an hours-long standoff with a man refusing to get out of his car, to false active shooter alerts being sent out, police in Minnesota are here to protect the public but sometimes lack of resources are more blatant than in other departments.

According to Austin Police Dept. Chief David McKichan, local departments across our area are designed to handle one or two incidents at a time. But just because a department is dealing with a high-stakes situation, calls for help just don’t stop.

“Our people are a limited resource, especially in a day and age where we’re not fully staffed, or really haven’t been for three years,” said Chief McKichan. “Our negotiators are the patrol people or the detectives. It’s an extra hat that they wear.”

The men and women of our local police departments do thankless work to keep our communities safe, and one way people can make sure their resources and funding don’t deplete is by joining those departments.

However, law enforcement is just one element of emergency response. There’s also the fire department, emergency medical services and crisis negotiators in the event of a particularly hostile situation.

If you have a desire for civic engagement, the requirements may vary for different organizations. In Minnesota, you need at least a two-year degree to join the force.

“We’re fortunate in Austin that Riverland [Community College] does offer a criminal justice program or peace officer training program,” expressed Chief McKichan. “RCTC [Rochester Community and Technical College] also has a great program.”

“It really is an opportunity to challenge yourself and do a lot of public good,” said Chief McKichan. “We [police officers] have a lot of traffic stops, criminal elements, the things that most people believe that we do, but really what they [police officers] do to help out the community is absolutely fantastic and what people don’t always see and appreciate.”

According to Chief McKichan, Minnesota has a need for people to step into the field of law enforcement.

If you are interested in the criminal justice program at Riverland Community College, you can click here.

If you want to look into RCTC’s program, click here.