New Noel Marshal Randy Wilson wants to improve community relations and help revive Noel as a friendly, small town.
Wilson, who was promoted to marshal in September, has served as chief deputy since 2016.
He plans to utilize his 27 years of law enforcement experience to continue to build trust and community relations.'
"I want to build on what (former marshal) Paul Gardner started and promote Noel's image as a great place to live and visit."
Noel, known as the Christmas City, can be a wonderful place again if residents all work together.
"We want a better downtown and to bring more businesses in," Wilson said. "That's what we hear from people in the community. I really believe that can happen. It takes a team to do it."
The department maintains an area in and around Noel, servicing the Elk River in the summer, which is busy with tourists and locals. With the assistance of the McDonald County Sheriff's Office, the Noel Marshal's Office provides full-service law enforcement 24 hours a day.
The department experiences a great deal of volume over the summer months, hiring on extra help for patrol efforts.
Over the years, the community has evolved to include a variety of cultures and heritages. Part of the challenge is a language barrier. Officers say that families and friends sometimes serve as interpreters. The Marshal's Office also utilizes friends of the community to interpret in certain situations, Wilson added.
Officers try to interact with ease and comfort in the community while promoting a presence of safety. Wilson carries children's coloring books in his bag to help facilitate conversations and help interactions go smoothly.
The department handles 15 to 20 calls daily and averages 1,500 to 1,800 calls on an annual basis. In mid-September, Wilson said the department had recorded 1,630 calls so far.
Officers respond to traffic violations, disturbances, thefts, trespassing, burglaries, reckless incidents and more.
The top three types of calls include drug-related calls, thefts and domestic situations, he said.
The goal is handling every call with professionalism and efficiency.
Wilson currently is the only full-time officer, with four part-time officers and four reserve officers.
Long-term, he would like to see two more full-time officers added to the ranks.
Other goals this year include overseeing a facelift for the office. Resident Camille Graves was able to complete her master's degree project at the Noel Marshal's office. As a way of giving back, she has offered to handle a facelift for the office, complete with paint and some hard work. She also wants to implement some concrete ideas to help bring together people of all cultures.
Wilson believes that the community can work together -- no matter a language barrier -- to build a better Noel.
"We would all like to see Noel get to the place that we all want it to be," he said.
General News on 10/17/2019