ABOVE: Officer Nain Cruz joined the Fairmont Police Department on June 1.

FAIRMONT– Officer Nain Cruz joined the Fairmont Police Department on June 1. Cruz’s addition to the department is not only special because he is bilingual in both English and Spanish, but he is also bringing the department to fully staffed with 18 officers.

Cruz did his schooling, both high school and college, in Worthington. He attended Minnesota West Community and Technical College in Worthington and graduated with a degree in law enforcement in 2020.

Speaking to what got him interested in law enforcement, Cruz simply said, “I wanted to be able to help people.”

After school, his first job in law enforcement was at the Ramsey County Jail. Most recently, he was working for the Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office as a correctional officer.

On relocating to live and work in Fairmont, Cruz said he had heard good things about the community and the department here.

“I knew a few of the officers here. I did a ride along and I saw the support of the community with law enforcement,” Cruz said.

Since he started, Cruz has been working with some Field Training Officers (FTO) including Parker Stevens, Derek Hughes and Justin Jobe.

“It’s been very good so far,” Cruz said. “I’m looking forward to being able to help the community, especially vulnerable people like elderly and kids,” Cruz said.

He enjoys attending church and worshiping God and said he is also interested in becoming more involved in the community.

Acknowledging that he is bilingual, Cruz said he believes that this has already proven to be beneficial for both the department and the community.

Police Chief Mike Beletti said they’ve had some officers with minimal Spanish in the past but that Cruz is the first truly bilingual officer with the department to his knowledge.

“That wasn’t a requirement of ours but it was an exciting asset that he has,” Beletti said. “When we went through our hiring process it was very clear who our number one candidate was through the course of the interview and background check and that was Officer Cruz. He really impressed us in the interview with his answers and background as a correctional officer.”

He added that they’re thankful for the asset Cruz brings to both the department and the community because the fact that he’s bilingual will undoubtedly strengthen the relationship between the department and community members.

“This brings us to a full staff of 18 officers across the board from chief on down. We’re fully staffed and looking forward to remaining this way,” Beletti said.