Mayor Shelly Carlson administers the oath of office to Moorhead’s incoming chief of police, Chris Helmick.

Moorhead Chief of Police Chris Helmick was sworn in before the city council and a full house of family, colleagues and friends on Monday. The swearing-in ceremony opened the council meeting, with Mayor Shelly Carlson reading the oath of office to be repeated by the former Fargo police captain.
Helmick was chosen from a field of four semifinalists March 10. He replaces Chief Shannon Monroe, who retired from the force at the end of March. Deputy Chief Tory Jacobson, who also retired in February, served as interim leader of the department.
Helmick, who with his family has lived in Moorhead for 20 years, has worked in the FPD’s criminal investigations and neighborhood services divisions, as well as heading professional standards. The 1995 Minnesota State Univesrsity Moorhead graduate also completed the FBI National Academy in 2023. He stressed the importance of keeping the city safe for “all of us and our families,” promising to work along side city staff and MPD employees in accomplishing that mission.