Child Protection Department to be fully staffed in November for the first time in years

GRAND FORKS — The child protection department for the Grand Forks County Human Service Zone is expected to be fully staffed by Nov. 2. On Oct. 1, Brian Samson from the Grand Forks Police Department started working with child protection. The next hire should start in November, making the department fully staffed. During a Human Service Zone Advisory Board meeting Tuesday, Oct. 20, JoNell Bakke, the secretary of the board, said I ve never heard it said, and other attendees agreed. Nobody could remember the last time that department was fully staffed. The board also is hiring for a new local human resources position. The role replaces a previous position, so there won't be any changes to the budget. Tammy Knudson, president of the board, said they ve gotten a lot of candidates. This role will help manage recruitment, onboarding and offboarding. Economic assistance also has open positions but has paused filling them until it has the capacity to train new hires. Eco