Newspaper Clipping - Newspaper Clipping Scan - Police Chief Martin DesLauriers resigns after 30 years - 3/28/1983I EAGAN
HRON /CLE
a Current newspaper
SECTION A
Vol. IV, No. 13, Monday, March 28, 1983
Bringing you the news of the people, the neighborhoods and business of Eagan
TWO SECTIONS
Above and i t right are Police Chief Martin DPc Thn ph!icn + ri hf t.
in 1965.
c fal'ein
Police chief resigns after 30 years,
plans to become private investigator
by Linda Hans( n
As a kid, Pol ce Chief Martin DesLauriers
once took a nei ;hbor's corn stalks, spread
them across Hif hway 13, and stopped traffic
by lighting then on fire.
The prank ah nost landed him in reform
school.
"I was proba ply one of the world's worst
kids," he said and shook his head ruefully. "I
caused my folio a lot of headaches.
"The story t1 at it takes one to catch one is
probably legitin ate."
Despite his early life of "crime,"
DesLauriers has had a long, successful career
in law enforcement in Eagan.
He started as the township's part -time con-
stable in 1953, and became Eagan's first police
chief in 1965.
After 30 years on the job, DesLauriers has
decided to quit and become a private in-
vestigator.
DesLauriers sat in his sparsely decorated of-
fice last week, dressed in shades of blue with a
small handcuff tie pin, and admitted he was
going to miss being police chief.
"I'm looking forward to getting out of it,
but I'm going to miss it, I know I will."
DES LAURIERS: to p. 19A
19A
1965
agan's New Police Car Rea
READY FOR PATROL is the week -old car of the k' Richard LeMay and Don Smith and Chief Martin
Eagan Police Department, shown in front of the new : ' DesLauriers. LeMay and Smith joined the force on
town hall. Pictured from left to right are Patrolmen; - July 1. Not pictured is Patrolman Vern Letendre.
re
DesLauriers is p ctured above along with a 1965 news clipping.
Chief DesLauriers: It's never been dull
DES LAURIERS: from p. 1A
Thirty years age, the job of con-
stable involved vet y little police work,
DesLauriers said.
He said people ' vould call him at
home to come and settle fence line
disputes between f inners or to break
up drunken brawls at the Halfway
House.
Having worked !n the family
business of haulin;; milk cans for area
farmers when he vas a youth,
DesLauriers knew just about everyone
in Eagan when he became constable.
"Up to the earl! 1960s I would
guess that I knew '18 percent of the
people who lived it Eagan by their
first and last name , where they lived,
and probably who their family was.
That's changed," le said and laughed.
In addition to h ruling milk cans,
DesLauriers served a stint in the Ar-
my, worked on tilt' family dairy farm
on Yankee Doodle Road where Fox -
ridge Apartments tow stand, hauled
fuel oil for Tripp Oil Company, and
operated his own 1 andscaping busi-
ness— Martin's As phalt Driveways.
But after a few ; Tears of part -time
police work, DesLauriers knew he
wanted to make a :areer of it.
During winters 'vhen his blacktopp-
ing business had shut down for the
season, DesLaurie -s took law enforce-
ment classes offer( d by the Bureau of
Criminal Apprehe tsion and the FBI.
* * *
DesLauriers bel eves he's been for-
tunate to have live J and worked all his
life in Eagan.
"It's never been dull and I don't
think it ever will b:."
Looking back o 'er his years of
work, DesLauriers said one of the
rewards has been }laving people come
back and thank hi n for his being
tough on them wh :n they were acting
up in their youth.
"I can think of (bout four of them,
young adults who have families now,
who have come u<` and said they
remember the wee :end they spent in
"You never know when you come in
here in the morning what you're
going to be doing the rest of the
day —it's never a boring job."
Martin DesLauriers
jail and how their folks pleaded and
begged to get them out. And I told
them, `Leave 'em sit there till Monday
morning.' "
He believes parents should be sup-
portive of their children when they get
into trouble, but they should let them
take their lumps.
"I think it would be the best educa-
tion for a young person who's starting
to get into trouble, if he could just
spend a Friday night through Monday
morning in the county jail with the big
boys. A great percentage of these peo-
ple would think twice about making a
career of it."
DesLauriers said he's always believ-
ed in enforcing the law
equally — regardless of whether the
people involved were friends.
He said one of the things that sur-
prised him about his job was when
some of the people he thought were
good friends would suddenly become
violent when involved in a police mat-
ter.
"Some of them never spoke to me
again. But if you think back on it,
they probably weren't such good
friends."
The job has also had its share of
tragic moments. DesLauriers said he
sometimes has flashbacks of bad ac-
cidents he's been at where children
have been injured and torches were
needed to get them out of the car.
"There are a lot of things you'd like
to forget about. Time helps to put a
lot of it behind you."
DesLauriers said he was fortunate
that he never had to shoot anyone,
nor was he ever shot at.
"But I had a few good tussles once
and awhile," the burly chief said.
And although he admits police work
can be risky, he said other jobs also
have their risks.
"If you're serious about the jdb and
if you're trained to the best of your
ability...you should have the upper
hand —if you keep your mind clear."
Despite the long hours of work
through the years, DesLauriers has
managed to squeeze in some fun.
He's admits to enjoying a "bump"
(drink) now and then, and claims to
be a good bridge and poker player.
"My wife doesn't think I am,
though."
Other pastimes include golfing,
which he.said he's become addicted to
in the last few years, and horseback
riding.
He also likes to chop wood.
"It's a good way to get rid of
frustrations."
* * *
DesLauriers said his wife never
seemed to worry much about the risks
of the job, but she still didn't like his
chosen profession.
"I don't think Marie ever enjoyed
it —she put up with it and she's done a
hell of a job.
"You can imagine how it was.
Every weekend she could plan
something, then the phone would ring
and whoosh, I'd be gone. It wasn't the
tnost family- orientating job."
DesLauriers said he thought his son,
Paul, and twin daughters, Jayne and
Anne, also hated his job because of all
the cancelled family outings.
He was surprised when his son
decided to become a police officer.
Paul, now 25, has worked with the
Burnsville Police Department for the
last five years.
"I never dreamed that he'd want to
be a police officer. But I'm proud of
him for it. I think it's a good profes-
sion if you like it."
* * *
DesLauriers's tenure as police chief
in Eagan is one of the longest in Min-
nesota.
With the national average stay on
the job for a police chief reported to
be five years, he's managed to beat the
odds.
But in his typically modest fashion,
he gives the credit to others.
He neglects to mention that he is
liked and respected both within the
department and in the community.
DesLauriers believes that in many
cities, the police chief's biggest stress
is political pressure from elected of-
ficals. But not in Eagan.
"There's been no politics here.
There really hasn't. From day one, I
can't think of any pressure to hire a
certain person or to get rid of anyone.
"I've had a few recommendations,"
he said and chuckled, "but I've never
felt the pressure in that part of the
Police Department. In most cases, I
wouldn't say in all, the City Council
has never got involved in the actual
operation, the personnel."
The lack of political pressures, and
the job's variety, have made his job
enjoyable, he said.
"You never know when you come
in here in the morning what you're go-
DESLAURIERS: to p. 22A
The Eagan CHRONICLE, March 28, 1983
22A
DesLauriers resigns
DES LAURIERS: from p. 19A
ing to be doing the rest of the
day —it's never a boring job.
"I enjoy the challenge of something
coming up and you make a decision
(he snapped his fingers), then you sit
back and wait for the - - -- to fly."
But the most enjoyable part of
DesLauriers job has been the people
he's worked with.
"I've been fortunate here. P1l tell
you, the biggest headache that most
police chiefs have is dealing with the
people they work with. And I can't
say that.
"There isn't one officer in this
department that has been here for at
least two years who couldn't handle
any problem that came up in this city.
They might need help, but they'd
know where to get it and how to go
about it. And that's a nice feeling —to
have people like that here."
* * *
After April 30, DesLauriers, at age
51, will start his career as a private in-
vestigator.
His eyes light up with enthusiasm
when he talks about his n1ans.
He plans to specialize in doing
background checks on people who
apply for such positions as police
chiefs and other department heads
throughout the state.
DesLauriers has sat on several
boards involved in hiring police chiefs
in the metro area, and he said there is
always a problem of trying to find so-
meone to check the backgrounds of
the top applicants.
He also would like to get involved
in checking professional degrees and
accreditations of job applicants in
private industry.
"In industry today, they are finding
out that more and more people who
apply for jobs are not who they say
they are —they probably just want to
get into the company to get some
trade secrets."
The variety of a job as private in-
vestigator appeals to him, but he also
looks forward to doing some traveling
as part of the job.
"Sounds like a good dream, doesn't
it? It won't be boring work and I
think I'll enjoy it."
Police Chief Martin Des Lauriers in 1969.