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Sheriff's Office

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1. How do I get a Permit to Purchase handgun?

To obtain a permit to purchase you must apply in person at the Sheriff's Office, Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. You must be 21 years of age, a resident of Chippewa County and have a Minnesota drivers license confirming your Chippewa County address. We have up to seven working days to process your Permit to Purchase application from the time we receive it. The criminal history of each applicant is checked. A record of conviction for certain crimes will be cause for denial of a permit.

Application for Permit to Purchase:

https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/bca/bca-divisions/administrative/Documents/Permit-to-Purchase-Transfer-Application.pdf 

2. How do I get a Permit to Carry?

To obtain a permit to carry you must apply in person at the Sheriff's Office Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. You must be 21 years of age, a resident of Chippewa County and have a Minnesota Drivers License confirming your Chippewa County address. We have up to thirty working days to process your Permit to Carry application from the time we receive it. The criminal history of each applicant is checked. A record of conviction for certain crimes will be cause for denial of a permit.

Requirements

In order to receive a permit to carry you must:

• Have an occupation or personal safety hazard requiring a permit to carry.
• Not be a person prohibited from possessing a handgun or semi-automatic military-style assault weapon.
• Provide a firearms safety certificate recognized by the Department of Natural Resources, evidence of successful completion of a test of ability to use a firearm supervised by the police chief or sheriff, or other proof of the ability to use a handgun safely.
• Take the Permit to Carry handgun certification course.

Helpful tips:

• Please make sure all applications are signed and dated.
• We accept cash, check or money order for your application fee.
• A current copy of your I.D. is needed as well as a copy of the Certificate of your Permit to Carry course.

Renewal information for Permit to Carry:

• A completed course must be valid within one year of application.
• You may apply for your renewal up to 90 days of the expiration date. Cost of renewal application prior to it expiring is $75.00.
• If application is received after 30 days of expiration date, cost for the renewal is $85.00.
• If application for renewal is received after the 30 day mark, it is then treated as a new application and cost is $100.

Application for Permit To Carry:

https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/bca/bca-divisions/administrative/Documents/Permit-to-Carry-a-Pistol-Application.pdf

3. How can I get a copy of a Sheriff’s report or accident report?

Methods

To obtain a copy of a Sheriff’s report or accident report, stop by in person at the Sheriff's Office located at:
629 N 11th Street
Montevideo, MN 56265

You can also to make a request by mail, or by phone by calling 320-269-2121.

Authorization

The report can also be requested by your insurance company but we must have a signed authorization by you.

Fee

A $3 fee for each report must be received before the report can be issued.

4. How do I pick up recovered stolen property?

To pick up property stolen from you and recovered, you must call 320-269-2121 to make an appointment. No evidence will be released without proper authorization and prior appointment.

5. How old do I have to be to operate a motorboat or personal watercraft?

Age Requirements for Operation of Motorboats

Under 12 Years of Age

Horsepower	Requirements
25 Horsepower or less	No restriction
25 to 75 Horsepower	Must have someone at least 21 years old within reach of the controls
75 Horsepower or greater	Cannot operate

12 to 17 Years

Horsepower	Requirements
25 Horsepower or less	No restriction.
25 Horsepower or greater	Must either have: Someone at least 21 years old on board within reach of the controls Watercraft Operators Permit (Permit applications and education materials are available from the Sheriff's Office and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources)

Age Requirements for Operation of Personal Watercraft (PWC)

Under 13 Years of Age

May not operate PWC even with an adult on board.

13 to 17 Years of Age

May operate without permit only with an adult onboard the craft.

13 Years of Age

May operate with a PWC Operators Permit and under the visual supervision of a person 21 years or older.

14 to 17 Years of Age

May operate PWC alone if they have a Watercraft Operators Permit.

6. What can I do if I have problems with snowmobilers trespassing on my property?

Posting

Non-agricultural land should be properly posted; "No Trespassing" signs should be placed at each corner of the property and at all entrances. It is legal for snowmobilers to ride within the road right of way.

Gather Information

If you have snowmobilers who are trespassing on your property try to get the following information:

• Description of the Operator
• Registration Number
• Snowmobile Description

It is oftentimes difficult to get this information unless you are very close or the person trespasses repeatedly.

Contact Us

If this is happening on a regular basis call the Sheriff's Office at 320-269-2121 and let us know the specific area and time of the offenses and we will make an attempt to patrol the area.

7. What does the Sheriff's office charge to serve a civil process?

The charge to serve most civil process is $50 plus mileage round trip (at the current rate of reimbursement) computed from Montevideo. If there are two separate parties to be served the cost is $50 per person or business served.

There are different fees for other processes but the $50 fee plus mileage covers about 80% of all actions.

8. Does the Sheriff serve all civil process papers?

The Sheriff must serve all process delivered to him for service, however, about 95% of all civil process may be served by anyone who is at least 18 years of age and not an interested party in the action.

9. What is the process for getting a tenant evicted from my rental property?

To evict a tenant for violation of the terms of a lease the landlord must go to the Chippewa County Court Administrator to get an Eviction Summons and Eviction Complaint in Unlawful Detainer issued. From there the following proceedings will occur:

1. The Sheriff, or private process server, will serve the Eviction Summons and Unlawful Detainer upon all tenants listed at the property.
2. A court date is set approximately 14 days later allowing the tenant and the landlord to give their statements to the court.
3. The court will issue a decision whether or not the tenant should be evicted.
4. If the court decides in favor of the landlord and the person still does not move out, the landlord must have the court issue a Writ of Restitution and the Sheriff must serve this on the tenant.
5. 24 hours after the Writ of Restitution has been served the Sheriff and the landlord can remove the tenant.
6. If needed the landlord must safely keep the tenants property.

10. When do I call 911?

You should call 911 for police, fire, and medical emergencies, to report crimes in progress or that have just occurred.

11. When do I call the Sheriff's Department?

You should call the Sheriff's Department, at 320-269-2121, for non-emergencies.

Non-emergencies include:

• A crime that occurred some time ago
• Speaking with a deputy about a law enforcement issue
• To report a crime that is not in progress

12. What happens if I call 911 from my cell phone?

Calls made from a cell phone are directed to the nearest State Patrol Office. At this time, 911 calls from a cell phone do not provide caller information such as name, address, and phone number that is normally available to our office when a call is made from a standard phone.

13. What is there to know about the Drug Abuse Resistance Education Program?

About

The Drug Abuse Resistance Education Program (D.A.R.E.) is a 17-week (one hour per week) program for fifth or sixth grade students taught by specially trained uniformed law enforcement officers. D.A.R.E. was created in Los Angeles, California in 1983 to teach pre-teens the skills necessary to resist drug experimentation.

Information Covered

D.A.R.E. lessons focus on providing accurate information about:

• Alternatives to drug use
• Drugs and alcohol
• Showing them how to resist peer pressure
• Teaching students decision-making skills
• Ways to improve self-esteem

14. Who do I call if I have information on a crime?

If the crime is in progress or it is an emergency call 911. For any information that is not an emergency call 320-269-2121 and your call will be directed to the proper person.

15. What are the jail visiting hours?

Jail visiting hours are as follows:

Tuesdays and Fridays
1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
7 to 9 p.m.

16. What is the "Huber Law"?

"Huber Law" or work release allows a person sentenced to jail to work at their regular place of employment during their normal working hours but they must return to the jail during their non-working hours. This opportunity is available at the discretion of the court and the inmate must pay the County $25 per work day for this privilege.

17. Who would I contact if I had information about some suspected drug activity?

Call the Chippewa County Sheriff’s office at 320-269-2121 to ask questions, or report suspected illegal drug activity.

You can also email the Sheriff directly by submitting our Contact Form.

Non-Emergencies Only

Under no circumstances should email be used to report an emergency situation.

18. Why does the court issue a warrant?

Most commonly, a warrant is issued when a person fails to show for a court appearance when summoned.

19. How can I contact a deputy who handled my complaint?

To contact the deputy who handled your complaint, call one of the non-emergency telephone numbers for the Sheriff's Office at 320-269-2121 or 320-269-2122.

The message will be given to the deputy and they will get back to you.

20. What is "Sentence to Service"?

This is a program which places inmates in a work crew supervised by an employee of the Minnesota Department of Corrections. The crew performs work on public or non-profit projects, primarily within Chippewa, Yellow Medicine, and Lac Qui Parle Counties. The projects include such tasks as:

• Clean up in state parks
• Painting of public buildings
• Roadside weed and brush control

Participants in this program receive time off their sentences, or perform this service in lieu of payment of a fine.

21. Does Chippewa County prosecute worthless checks?

Yes, Chippewa County does prosecute worthless checks passed in Chippewa County if they meet certain criteria.

22. What do I do if I receive a worthless check and want to have it prosecuted?

To obtain the forms and instructions, you may contact the Sheriff's Office at 320-269-2121 Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

23. What type of worthless checks are not considered criminal and cannot be prosecuted?

Types of checks that are not considered criminal and therefore cannot be prosecuted include:

• Checks accepted to hold
• Checks given as payment on an account
• Checks in which partial payment has been received
• Post-dated checks
• Rent checks
• Second and third party checks
• Stop payment checks