A career carved in community

Jeff Mundale didn’t want a party for his retirement after 31 years in law enforcement in Owatonna.

“I’m like, let me just slide out of here,” he said. It wasn’t that he wasn’t appreciative of the idea, “but I get emotional about these things.”

Sept. 18 was his last day with the Owatonna Police Department, the last four years as its chief of police.

A going-away party, he said, marked a definitive separation:

“You’re losing your identity as this professional and a leader, and in a matter of a split-second, you walk out the door and realize that life has to go on at the station,” Mundale said.

But “some very close people around me said, ‘the party isn’t necessarily for you. It’s for your officers and the public.’ So I said, ‘OK, let’s do it,’” he said.

Well over 100 people stopped at Owatonna Arts Center to wish him well.

“The outpouring of support was very moving,” Mundale said. “Very emotional. Everybody in that room? I knew everybody in some way.”

The beginning

While attending then-Mankato State University, he met Amy Schenk in Spanish class; she grew up in Owatonna and graduated from OHS.

When it became clear the two had a future, Amy’s parents sent Mundale a clipping from the local newspaper: OPD was looking for an officer.

Mundale wasn’t quite ready to apply – he was still six months away from a four-year degree in law enforcement. He was eligible for hire, “but I thought, ‘no, I want to get done with this degree.’

“I had my whole life to work,” he said. “I was 24, and I thought, if I don’t finish this degree, when am I going to get back and do it? Because life happens.”

He would be a fourth-generation police officer, with members of his family in law enforcement since 1923. His father is a retired police officer, as well, from the city of Edina.

The OPD agreed to wait for him to graduate; Mundale started with the department at the end of June 1995.

Rising in ranks

The longevity in the career came from his support at home, from Amy and their two children, Jacob and Samantha.

That was especially true as he worked his way through the ranks; as soon as he had the opportunity to work a day-shift, Mundale would be offered a promotion – which would send him back to the evening or overnight shift as the newest leader.

“Part of these last four years for me (as chief) was working on culture,” Mundale said. “Bringing these families together and not forgetting all the spouses and the significant others, because they’re in this journey with us.”

Despite the upward trajectory of his path, Mundale said his career goal was never to become a chief.

“It was to be a street officer,” he said. “I love traffic enforcement, but I look at it as the opportunity to educate, build relationships and trust. Everything didn’t have to be a citation or a ticket or an arrest, right?”

Still, there’s big reward: “The amount of guns you can get off the street – the drugs, the guns, the interrupting crimes in progress… I caught burglars on traffic stops; like, what’s all this equipment doing in your backseat?”

Mundale himself broke up multiple burglary rings – including a few based in the Metro – while working on patrol.

He had plenty of memorable calls – so much so, that he can still remember the exact addresses to which he responded.

“Traffic enforcement isn’t all about stop signs, semaphores and speed,” he said. “It’s about how else we can be proactive. I’ve always believed in the visibility of police patrols in my prevention efforts.”

Leadership lessons

A key piece of Mundale’s leadership style was community engagement.

“I believe in … involving our citizens,” he said.

The most obvious example came recently, when the city created a new ordinance for UTVs/ATVs.

“I hope people started seeing what I saw in that conversation,” he said. “There was engagement, there was feedback,” predominantly from people with a greater stake in the matter.

The owners of M2 Powersports in Owatonna were actively involved, as were residents who use the vehicles on a daily basis.

“You saw citizens coming up with questions,” Mundale said, “questions that they don’t get to ask after decisions are made, and they say, ‘here’s my public comment,’ but that’s not a time for Q and A. We need some opportunities” to listen and consider options.

The resident who started the petition to create guidelines worked alongside city officials, Mundale said.

“He headed this up … and we modified the (original) ordinance” around the people’s feedback, he explained.

That was his goal throughout his career, from patrol officer to chief.

“I tried to spend time with the community,” Mundale said, “listening to them and explaining, and I think that went a long way – or just giving people some time to vent. We may not be able to provide them the answers or the resolution they want, but at least if you know somebody’s listening to you… and then a little bit of explanation?

“I think people just respect the fact that they’re heard, and they want to know the ‘why’ behind” decisions, he said.

“I always carried that philosophy, from the time I was a rookie officer,” and saw senior officers who may not have been as patient.

“So when I found opportunities where I could do that on my own, I would,” Mundale said, “because I think it builds trust. And I think you saw it” at his retirement party.

Over the years, he served as patrol sergeant, administrative sergeant and patrol captain, ultimately becoming chief of police in 2022.

In 2021, he was part of the 1% of law enforcement officers to attend the prestigious FBI National Academy. After completing that intensive program, he completed his master's degree at the University of Virginia.

“I always believed in that lifelong learner mindset,” Mundal said. “Constantly learning, researching, trying to stay in front of (issues), whether it’s immigration or flock surveillance, just trying to make sure we’re doing the right thing – and looking out for the best interests of Owatonna.”

The changes

It’s probably no surprise that the biggest change in his 31 years in law enforcement has been the advances in technology.

“Law enforcement has to move with this technology,” Mundale said, “but I look at how it’s helping officers do their job – and things become a little bit more transparent for the public view, with body cams.”

When they were introduced to the OPD in 2019, Mundale figured the opinion among officers would be split 50-50.

The cameras were welcomed nearly without exception.

“This stuff is smart, smart technology,” he said. The cameras eliminate emotion from situations, have hypersensitive audio and are essentially a second set of eyes – with review capabilities.

“In the early days of my career, crime was a local issue,” he said. “It might have been drugs, guns, going from county to county. But now, with technology and social media and the internet, (crime) has no borders. It’s global. I got to see that evolution in my career.”

The right time

Mundale turned 55 – retirement-age eligible – on March 2.

But March 1 was Owatonna Fire Chief Ed Hoffman’s last day, and Mundale said he knew the optics might be bad.

It was fine, he said, because “I wanted to give the city at least four- or five-months’ notice, enough for this transition – because I knew Josh (Sorensen) would be a strong candidate.”

With some forms of leadership, Mundale said, “you’ve got to just not care what other people think of you. But I do. I’m conscientious. You have to make the decisions for yourself, but I thought it was going to look kind of ugly, so I said, no, we’re going to put some time between this,” he said.

On June 1, he consulted with Amy, then gave his notice. His last day was Sept. 18.

The timing was right; Amy had retired from Federated; the couple was going to celebrate their 30^th wedding anniversary; and he would be heeding advice not to retire during the winter.

On Sept. 19, Sorensen became the 14^th chief of police in Owatonna since 1909.

“I got the unique privilege of calling Jeff my field training officer, patrol officer, sergeant, captain and finally, chief,” Sorensen said at the retirement party. “Throughout an officer’s career, many people leave an imprint on your development. Jeff has had a profound impact on my achieving not only the officer I became, but the leader I aspire to be.

“Chief, thank you for the laughs, the memories, the leadership and the friendship,” he said.

What’s next?

Mundale said in his first few weeks and months of retirement, he will “just kind of decompress out of this career, establish my new identity and spend time with my family.”

Finding a new purpose, he said, will involve getting back into the profession in some way, consulting or contract work, for example.

There are also home projects to wrap up before winter, and he wants to “pull out my (1966) Mustang, get the dust off and put some miles on it.”

Mundale enjoys the outdoors, as well as hunting, fishing and spending time with his parents.

“I still don’t mind the Minnesota winters,” he said. “I don’t mind being out in the cold and ice fishing and snowmobiling and hok skiing.”

He described hok skis as “little alpine skis, for use going uphill in the snow, but it’s also a ski,” so the user can ski down an incline – an alternative to snowshoes, essentially.

Mundale returned often to the support of his family, especially Amy, who “sacrificed true opportunities for me to pursue mine.

“By the grace of God and all the support around me, I made it to this day,” he said on his final day on the job, “and it’s with so much gratitude.”