Posted: 7/19/06
God closes one door, opens another
 After 30 years in law enforcement, including 10 years as North Branchís police chief, Jules Zimmer is retiring. Teaching, coaching baseball, continuing his faith-based work and playing racquetball top his list of retirement priorities. |
By Patrick Tepoorten
North Branch Police Chief Jules Zimmer, 50, is stepping down at the end of the month after a 30-year career in law enforcement. Through the ups and downs of that career, he has let his faith guide him every step of the way.
Starting as a rookie on the Princeton force, through his time as Mille Lacs County Sheriff and including his time in North Branch and his decision to retire, Zimmerís faith has helped shape his career. ìI believe God opened and closed those doors. Every time a door would begin to close, another would open,î he said.
The ìdoorî to the chiefís job in North Branch, said Zimmer, began to close about a year ago as he felt more and more that it was time to start a new chapter in his life.
LOOKING BACK
Zimmer came on board as the chief almost 10 years ago, faced with a unique opportunity. With the City having made the decision to invest in a full-time police force, a significant expansion, Zimmer was put in charge of making that happen. He took the force from a two-person, two-car department to the 11 officers, two support staff, and nine-car force the city enjoys today.
Zimmer referred to the chance to do that as the most rewarding aspect of his job. ìI had the opportunity to build it from the ground up,î he said, including not only staff, but technology and equipment as well. ìIt gave me the opportunity to set policy and steer the department in the direction I felt was appropriate.î
Zimmer is also proud of the many programs that were initiated in his tenure, including Peddle With the Police, National Night Out, TRIAD, Halloween and bicycle safety programs, the implementation of School Resource Officers, the formation of an investigative unit, inclusion in the county SWAT team, and the K-9 program.
Zimmer referred back to the day his department became able to provide continuous coverage for residents as the high point of his career here. Prior to that day, the department still relied on the Chisago County Sheriffís Office to provide coverage in the early morning hours. ìIt irritated me that we could not provide the service,î he stated. ìProviding that coverage was a big turning point.î
The low point for Zimmer came on a night in 2003, when a hostage situation would see his officers fired upon. That night would ultimately lead to a murder-suicide that would force not only North Branch, but county law enforcement as well to rethink how they approach dangerous situations.
ìAfter that, we as a department struggled with improving in situations like that,î said Zimmer. To that end, North Branch has been active with county SWAT with one officer currently on the team and another who has expressed interest.
Zimmer believes having two officers present that night saved lives. Thinking back on the situation with a furrowed brow, Zimmer recalled that without backup, the officer who went to the front door might not have received warning of an immediate threat from the garage. ìHe might have been slain,î he said.
Having two officers on duty around the clock would have been Zimmerís next goal. ìIt is much more effective to have double coverage, especially in the early morning,î he said, and noted that county officers are not always available, depending on what might be happening elsewhere in the county.
It is clear that Zimmer is very proud of the force he leaves behind. ìThe personnel currently here do a tremendous job,î he said, and expressed a great deal of delight in having watched officers mature over the years. ìThey make me look good. That is a fact.î
ìIt has been part of my job to put myself aside and put officers in a position to provide the best possible public service. My philosophy is to not be the focal point, but to give officers the freedom and the resources, combined with their ability, to best serve the public.î
Looking back, Zimmer said, ìIíve enjoyed my tenure here. Iíve met a number of wonderful people in this community. The police department and city staff have been just great. I believe they are dedicated individuals that care about their jobs and the community.î
Looking forward, Zimmer thinks the department has an ìabsolutely bright future.î
WHATíS CHANGED?
When Zimmer took the reigns of the police department, North Branch had a population of roughly 5,500. Ten years later the population has almost doubled, and with that increase, the face of local crime has changed somewhat.
ìIt seems that domestic situations have become more predominant and are tending to be more serious,î said Zimmer. He also remarked that thefts continue to be on the rise, but pointed out that Neighborhood Crime Watch and Meth Watch are helping combat those crimes.
Still, policing North Branch is a tough job.
ìItís difficult to manage. The area we are responsible for is 36 square miles. Not many cities have that responsibility. It is a lot of territory, said Zimmer, who added it has always been a challenge to balance peopleís need to see squad cars in their neighborhood with the reality of finite budgets.
AND FOR AN ENCORE?
ìNothing. And Iím not going to start until noon. By the end of the day I will be half done,î Zimmer joked when asked about his retirement. In all actuality, it turns out Zimmer plans to stay very busy. He is very involved with baseball in the Princeton area and plans to become more so.
He is the co-manager of the amateur team the Princeton Panthers, volunteers as an assistant coach for the high school varsity team, and is very involved in the American Legion league as well. He would like to turn some of those positions into paid positions and work on a part-time basis.
He also would like to start working as a substitute teacher in the Princeton school district, which is something his wife of 30 years, Jule, already does. In fact, were Zimmer to fulfill his teaching goal, he would see a lot more of his family, with Jule working as a sub and his son Jesse, 27, the current varsity head coach. Zimmerís younger son, Jonathan, 24, is a graphic designer.
Zimmer also sees himself working part time in a sporting goods store or gym as well. In short, he has many options.
Zimmer also plans to continue his work with the Gideons, who are renowned for their work placing the Bible in hotel rooms. ìWe place a million Bibles every seven days,î he noted.
When he is not coaching, teaching, or spreading the word of God, Zimmer hopes to find some time for racquetball, which he indicated he enjoys immensely.
Comment from Fred Johnson, 8/1/06
I wanted to thank you for this inspiring story and If I could would like to thank Mr. Zimmer
for all his great work and dedication to N.B also for the PRAYERS I'm a recovered only because of GODS grace and people
like Jules who PRAYED for the
community.
Thanks
GOD BLESS YOU and your future
Fred
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