“There’s no place like home,” said the newly appointed Minneapolis Park Police Chief Linda K. Bergstrom. Bergstrom is a graduate of Pine City High School Class of 1974, and continued her education in law enforcement and attended skills training in Hibbing.

Bergstrom was born and raised in Pine City, the youngest of nine children. Her mother was her mentor, who taught her strong family values. Her mother always told her to never give up on what she wanted in life and to follow her dreams. She experienced a lot from growing up in a large family and a small town. Bergstrom comes from a law enforcement family. She plans to retire someday in her hometown as she still has family members and friends here.

Because Bergstrom wanted diversity and a challenge, she headed to Minneapolis in 1974 to pursue her education in law enforcement. She applied with the Minneapolis Park Police in 1979 as a park patrol agent; 1981, she was promoted to a sworn police officer and patrolled the city of Minneapolis parks and requested to work the north side; she received a promotion to a sergeant of patrol in 1989; and in 2006, she was promoted to the rank of lieutenant, and was in charge of the School Resource Officers Program with the Minneapolis Public School system. Bergstrom later was in charge of the investigation unit until she became chief of police.

On July 19, she was appointed chief of Minneapolis Park Police. Bergstrom said that she has been in law enforcement for 31 years and it has been a wonderful career choice with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board – Park Police.

As chief of police, she oversees 51 employees, which have 182 park properties – which include recreation centers, golf courses and regional parks. “The men and women do an outstanding job daily in their performance of patrol in working for the Park Police,” Bergstrom said. “The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board provides a beautiful park system for the citizens and visitors using the parks in the city of Minneapolis.”